Nunc Aut Nunquam
by Quiet One
Summary: Upon the death of her mother, Anamaria Thomson is sent to live on her fathers pirate vessel. If only she had any idea what awaited her there. Love, friendship, raids and a mysterious new crewmate who seems more then a little attracted to her. JackAna
1. The Validus

_A/N: Well, new fic up. And the first chapter is a long one. I can't promise that will keep up, but I will do my best. Um... this fic is the life story of Anamaria, and will span about 20 years, ending about at the end of the movie, maybe a little later. _

_Just a note, Ragetti is the guy with the wooden eye in the movie, and Pintel is his half-bald headed friend, they were kinda hard to catch in the movie itself. Jack will be in this, don't worry. Um... people will seem slightly out of character, but this is merely because it takes place 20 years before the movie. Most of them are still in their mid to late teens, and the whole curse deal isn't around yet, so their gonna be a bit different then in the film. Please review. Any type of feedback is welcome._

_Many thanks to Hollie and PinkPineapple for help with this. _

_Disclaimer: Don't own anything but the weak excuse for a plot._

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I had a strange life growing up, I'll be the first one to admit that. A very strange life. I didn't have many friends, but it wasn't because I was unlikable or an outcast, but because most parents didn't want their children hanging around with 'that Thomson girl.' Really, they had good reason not to want their little ones around me now that I think of it. Who knows what they had heard? Rumors are always worse then the truth you know.

Let me go back aways; when I was eight or nine, I had one close friend -his name was Oliver I think, or something like that. But anyway thats beside the point. When we were eight or nine, I made him tell me everything he knew about my family. I was curious as to exactly what others thought. He hadn't wanted to say anything, but after rubbing his nose in a mud puddle till he couldn't breath (mother must be rolling in her grave to know I did something like that) he had relented and told me. Most all of he said was true of course, but when he got to the parts of the story others weren't supposed to know, I put on the shocked face I had so perfected and told him it was all a horrible lie.

You see, I should go back farther and explain. I grew up with my mum in the outskirts of Port Royal. My mother had always been very different from myself. She was raised in England as the only child of a middle class family. Upon the death of her parents, she -being sixteen at the time- sought employment as a governess to a family of nobility. The only relations she had left were rumored to have traveled to Jamaica to start a new life, and through this job she was able to save enough to pay her fare across the sea to find them. It is also my_ personal _belief that this job is what instilled the strict rules of etiquette in her that I have so hated all my life. When she was twenty one though, she finally managed to set out on this journey to 'the new world' so to speak, only to discover that the relations she sought were long dead.

My father's history I know little about. Only what I've heard from mothers stories, and to tell you the truth, I think she herself knew very little about him. I do however know that he was born in Africa. Where exactly- I don't know, but thats beside the point. Anyway, when he was also in his mid twenties, he set out on a voyage of his own, though perhaps slightly less willingly then mother did. In fact, it wasn't willingly at all, considering he was captured by a slave ship that was importing slaves to said new world. Here my stories rather sketchy, but I know that somehow, a revolt was led and the 'slaves' took control of the ship, guiding it into port somewhere in Jamaica. Mother told me the city she thought it was in once, but I don't recall the name, just that she said it was a 'heathen town.' From here, father took up petty jobs until he had enough to money to establish a ship and a crew to man it, before setting out on the twisted path of piracy.

I'm not exactly sure how my mothers and fathers paths crossed, all I know is that they did. Mother would never talk about that part of the story you see. She would always blush and promise to tell me when I was older. Sometimes I like to try and think about what it must have been like. To think they were caught up in a whirlwind romance, disapproved of by all but engaged to be married anyway, when fathers passion for the sea interfered and he realized he couldn't live this fraudulent life of civilized society any further and in a fit of emotion threw himself off a cliff to leave mother alone and with child. Then I realize that that wasn't what had happened at all. And that my father isn't dead.

No no, that wasn't what happened at all. As I said, I don't_ know_ exactly what happened, all I know is that for some time their paths in life crossed and I was born. Whether or not they were actually in love I'll never know. Mother certainly didn't seem to miss him too much, but then again, she didn't show much emotion about anything. And father didn't exactly stick around either. He carried on his life of piracy and I only saw him a handful of times in my childhood; and even then only during the brief times his ship was in harbor. He sent us money often though and we managed to stay fairly well off. So well off in fact, that people began to wonder how a seemingly poor single woman who worked as a seamstress for the governor could always keep food on the table and clothes on her child without difficulty. Between this and the fact that father was never around, the people in the town began to assume he was a pirate. They were right of course, but that didn't mean it wasn't rude of them to assume.

The fact that people began to think that he was a pirate however, led to our small family being surrounded by quite a bit of scandal. Well, that and one important factor that I've left out. I would have assumed it could be guessed by now though. As I've already explained, mother was an English woman, and therefore white, and I'm... well- not.

Lets just say that interracial unions are rather frowned upon in polite society. While no one ever came right out and said it, I knew from a very young age that I would amount to very little in life if I remained around here. Our class didn't help much. If I was lucky, I might be able to pick up a position as a cook or something. (I never _could _cook though, so I guess that throws that plan right out the window.) This simple fact however did not dissuade mother. God rest her soul. She insisted to carry on her little charade, and that I be raised like a proper young lady straight from London and destined to marry nobility. I was forced into a stuffy and unwanted childhood of nice dresses and corsets, learning skills such as reading and writing and sewing in my spare time.

Our lives together ran a consistent course just like this until eight months ago. Eighth months ago, my mother died of something the doctors called 'ague,' and I was left to fend for myself. I, being fifteen, was old enough to survive on my own with the money she left behind, and for a short time even picked up her old sewing job. I came to realize quickly however, that I hated that life. Without mother around, whom others had seemed to at least respect if not fear, all the barriers came down and people felt no remorse in showing their hatred for 'my kind.' It didn't take long for me to sit down and make a decision. After thinking long and hard, I sent word to my fathers ship,_ The Validus_ and told him what had happened.

And this is where my story begins, three weeks before my sixteenth birthday, as I stood upon the docks, watching for the white sails of my fathers ship to come into sight.

It was a windy day, and the long dark hair that hung down my back was being tossed in the wind. While I had worn a nice dress, I had been sure to pick one that didn't need a corset and was comfortable to move around in. I also disregarded all things my dear mother would have wished, and opted to go without shoes this morning, as well as allowing my straw hat to blow back off of my head. As of now it remained hanging around my neck only by the ribbons that usually laced under my chin, and I disregarded the sun that was beating down on the brown skin of my nose.

After what seemed ages, but was probably only a half an hour or so, I caught sight of exactly what I was looking for. Just a distant shape on the horizon. After another quarter of an hour roughly, the great ship was approaching the harbor and I looked on with great fascination. It was large compared to the little fishing boats I saw commonly, but still small enough to be able to dock properly. It was really made for speed more then for living space.

A tall scrawny youth, maybe eighteen or so, leaped agilely onto the wooden dock as soon as they were close enough, and began to tie off long ropes with the help of several men who worked for the Dock master. A long board was laid out between the ship and the dock, and several more men filed off.

"Daddy!" I called, as I saw my father clamor off the ship. I recognized him from the small portrait hanging over the mantel in the living room. I ran to him, and he to me, and he scooped me up of the ground and spun me around like I was a small child. I didn't mind though.

"Oh, my dear Anamaria. You've become such a young woman." he set me down, a proud smile upon his face, and settled onto one knee in front of me. His voice was marked with a strong accent I recognizing immediately from his past visits, though I was still unable to place it. "How are you?"

"I'm well Father. Its so nice to see you again." I smiled and he stood up.

"Well, come then," he said, giving me one last hug, then carefully tugging his sleeve low over his wrist.

"Lets go pay the Dock master for a nights berth, and go and get your things. Ragetti! Come with me!" The young man that I had observed tying off the ship came bounding over eagerly.

"Ay-," he paused nervously, before speaking again in a cleaner tone. "Yes sir, Capitan!" He gave a clumsy salute, (it was obvious he wasn't quite sure how to do one.) and trailed after Father and I as we approached an elderly man holding a thick book.

The entire way, I could feel Ragetti's eyes trained uncomfortable upon my back. I wasn't used to being watched like this, but as I looked around, I noticed most of the men from the ship had identical looks of curiosity upon there faces. Even if I was uncomfortable though, I couldn't exactly blame them. I was after all the Captain's daughter. One which no one had ever seen before. It would take quite some time before I earned their trust and respect. If I ever earned it.

"A shilling and your name," The Dock master snapped, never looking up from his books. My father tossed a couple of coins onto the page.

"We're staying the night. Please be sure my men over there-" he paused and gestured grandly to several crew members still on board who were fighting to work a strange bar and rope structure that I would later learn was a capstan. At the time, they were busy securing a large crate and hoisting it onto the docks. Several more waited on the deck beside them. "Can find someplace to sell their wares. The names Thomson." As we walked away from the docks and in the direction of home, father seemed to notice my confused look and winked at me.

"We took them off the hands of some merchant ship in Tortuga. Wouldn't want to blow our cover now would we?" Father said softly, before glancing over his shoulder and shouting. "Ragetti! Come on, stop lagging behind!" I glanced behind me and noticed that the boy had indeed fallen behind about ten paces or so, and was staring intently at a primped and powdered girl who was walking in the opposite direction, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his breeches as he walked.

"My trunk is all packed," I said happily, making small talk as we entered the house. The small three room building had already been sold to a set of newlyweds who had recently come over from England, who were living with some family down the street for now, and weren't set to move in for another week or so. All of the furniture and my possessions had been sold also, except my one trunk.

"Thats it," I said, leading the two into the bedroom and pointing to the medium sized wooden chest that lay open in the middle of the room.

"What have you packed?" Father asked, glancing around the room to see if if I had left behind anything I would need. I prayed silently that he wouldn't look under the bed. That was were I had stashed my old corset.

"Three dresses, my hair brush, a pair of shoes, a couple of books and my writing things." I neglected to mention that while I had packed dresses, I had also packed several sets of breeches and a couple of over sized shirts. I didn't know exactly where my father stood on the rearing of teenage girls, but I eventually hoped I would be able to wheedle my way out of dresses all together.

After another moment or so of awkward silence, I pulled a worn silver chain from around my neck on which hung a small silver key, and used it to close the trunk and click the lock shut. I carefully replaced the chain around my neck and stood back. Ragetti, who until this point had been standing in the corner and looking around silently, walked over and picked up the trunk easily. I was surprised to see that he was so strong for someone in such a tall, awkward body.

"Load it onto the ship, boy. She'll be staying in the port side cabin in the bow beside mine." At the time none of this made sense to me, but apparently Ragetti understood fine, for when Father finished speaking he nodded briskly and set off ahead of us. As we left, I locked the front door for the final time, and slipped the key under a large stone by the door, where I had said I would leave it. I turned, noticed that Father and Ragetti were aways ahead of me, and then set off after them at a run. That was the last time I ever walked that path.

* * *

That night I ate with my father in his quarters as we had much to catch up on, but the next day I dined with the rest of the crew for the first time. When I had rolled out of bed that morning, I reveled in the smell of the salty sea air that hung about the ship. I had always loved the ocean, and even though I had lived near it I rarely had an opportunity to be so close to it. My cabin was really just a small room near Fathers, just big enough to hold a narrow cot and my trunk, and had a small circular window high on the wall. While it was difficult to see out of normally, if I balanced carefully atop my cot I had a marvelous view of the water. Something I never had back at home. I yawned widely, and stretched.

After a brief internal debate as to what to wear, I pulled on a fairly plain, green dress, and brushed and braided my hair. I then headed out to what Father had called 'the galley.' It felt that I would never get used to these nautical terms.

When I arrived in the galley, most of the crew had already assembled, and were sitting on either side of a long wooden table that ran the length of the room. Several sat on chairs, but even more perched on crates or upturned buckets. I noticed right away they were all men. Father sat at the head of the table, and I spotted an empty crate next to him. He smiled at me as I walked over and sat down.

"Morning Ana," he said, heaping some chunks of meat onto his plate and passing the serving dish on to me. Ana was to become my nickname over the next few years.

"Good morning Father," I accepted the dish and piled some on my plate too, before handing it off to Ragetti, who was sitting on the other side of me.

"Morning Ragetti," I said brightly. He looked truly surprised that I spoke to him, and nearly dropped the plate, but the young man of about 20, with long dark hair sitting beside him caught it exasperatedly.

"You act like no ones ever greeted ye' before, and yet you gawk at almost any girl over 15 that ye' see in town. You really think you can catch one when you can't even greet the captains daughter." The man looked very irritated, but Ragetti looked highly embarrassed.

"I do _not_ gawk Pintel," he said softly, passing the plate and taking the one full of sliced fruit I handed him. "I was just startled, thats all." Pintel rolled his eyes before setting his cool gaze on me.

"What are _you_ looking at lass?" he asked sharply. A light blush rose in my cheeks.

"Nothing. Nothing," I muttered, looking away. The food in front of me, looked delicious and as I began to eat, I reveled in the chance to eat as much as I wanted without getting reprimanded.

"This really is delicious Father."

"Aye, well don't get too used to it I'm afraid. Fresh food is hard to come by when your on the water for a long time you see. We always get as much as we can when we're in harbor though."

"Speakin of which when are we takin' off Cap'n?" A man with braided hair and a long scar down the side of his face questioned.

"As soon as we finish eatin' Evans. Do ye' ever pay attention?" Pintel snapped in reply.

"Yes, I do. And its a good thing we're leaving. I don't like this 'merchant gear.' This jacket be too tight'. I can't breath prop'ly." Evans fingered the polished button on a long brown jacket he was wearing.

Father gave him a light smile. "Just wait until we get a couple of miles offshore men, then you can put on whatever you want." I hastily wiped my mouth on one of the scraps of worn cloth that were used as napkins.

"Does that include me?" I inquired hesitantly.

"Note I said 'men'," Father replied, never looking up.

"But Father! I won't be of any use if I can't move!"

"And why can't you move? Besides, even if you could, your not going to help out on the ship anyway. I have a crew for that, and under no circumstances am I allowing my fifteen year old daughter to start doing that sort of work."

"I'm almost sixteen!" I replied indignantly. Father put a hand to his chest in mock surprise.

"Really? You certainly aren't acting like it." I frowned and looked down at my plate, carefully considering my strategy. After a moment of silence I continued my plea.

"It'll be almost impossible to move around deck in the shoes I have," I said softly. "And my dresses are horribly constricting." Father gave me an appraising look.

"You dresses are fine. But I'll see what I can do about some shoes." Ragetti spoke up.

"She can 'ave a pair of my old leather boots," he said quickly, looking up at us. I blushed slightly to think that someone had heard our conversation. It had seemed that everyone else was absorbed in their own talk. Father smiled.

"There you go. After we set off, go to Ragetti's cabin and he can give you some different shoes, and then I expect to hear no more complaining, is that clear?"

"Alright," I said smiling. "Thank you Ragetti."

And that was why, three hours later I was to be found knocking hesitantly on the door to the crews cabin. A moment passed, before I heard Ragetti's voice echo out, telling me to come in a minute. I pushed gently on the thin door, and it swung open, allowing me to step into the room.

Inside, it was fairly large in comparison to the rest of the rooms on board. Judging just from what I could see, I would guess it ran the length of a good part of the ship and would be of a decent width if it weren't for the wooden bunks that ran each side of the room, stacked two high. Only a passage wide enough for two or three persons to pass each other remained down the center. The top bunks were lined with scrapes of wood on all sides about six inches high, with only a small space at either end left open so it could be accessed. I could only assume this was to prevent one from rolling right off when in rough seas.

A lanky form sat cross legged on the bottom bunk of the bed to my left, a large box laid out in from of him.

"Hello," he said, never looking up. "Just give me a second and I'll get those boots for you, all right?" I nodded, and plopped down on the bed beside him. I looked closely at the box he was rummaging through, and I noticed it held the pair of breeches and clean white shirt that he had been wearing the previous day and this morning, what I guessed according to Evans was his 'merchant gear.' Now, upon closer inspection, I noticed he had indeed changed, and was wearing a longer, tougher looking pair of pants, thick leather boots, and a faded red shirt rolled up to the elbows. I also noticed that he had small gold rings in each of his ears that I was almost certain hadn't been there before.

"Here it is," he muttered under his breath, pulling an uneven looking bone needle and some short pieces of thread out. "Got a rip in my shirt you see," he said, rolling down one of the sleeves and pointing out a tear along the seam. "Never been very good at fixin things like this, but I figured I'd give it a go," he smiled slightly.

"Let me see," I muttered, pulling his arm over closer to me and carefully examining the area. "I can fix that for you," I said, looking up. "I brought thread, and a better needle then what you have there. It will only take me a moment or two."

"Really?" he said, giving me a quirky smile. "Thats great. Thanks." I shrugged, and watched as he carefully rolled the sleeve back up again. It was then that I noticed for the first time the small 'P' burned into the flesh just about his right wrist. He seemed to notice my gaze and quickly shifted the way he was sitting so it was no longer visible.

"The mark of a pirate," he said softly, looking away. "We all 'ave it." I nodded. I had known about the pirate brand before as I had heard about it often back in town, but I had never actually seen one. When I saw it now, I was suddenly struck with how much my mother would have hated the situation I was in. I was also struck with how absurd it was. Here I was, on a _pirate_ ship, sitting in the cabin of a boy at least three or four years older then myself, unsupervised, and holding a perfectly normal conversation about mending.

It also sunk in to me for the first time the realization of that statement. The boy sitting across from me was indeed a pirate. A living breathing pirate, and one that could probably kill me in a second if he got it in his mind too.

"What the 'ell is_ she _doing in 'ere? And on my bed too?" I jumped, snapping out of my revere, and noticed Ragetti do the same. Pintel was standing in front of us, his large form blocking the doorway. The term 'she' was spat like a curse. I jumped up quickly, and folded my hands behind my back. On second thought, I unfolded them. I didn't know why, but for some reason I wanted both hands free. Ragetti stood up slowly.

"I was just givin her a pair of my old boots," he said, pulling a worn pair from under the bed and handing them too me. "Captain's orders," he added. "And Pintel, you really shouldn't be cursin' around the captains daughter." Pintel shot me a sour look.

"I'm a bloody pirate, and I'll curse if I want too. Just cause she's the capt'n's daughter doesn't mean she's any different from the rest of us."

"She's young," Ragetti protested softly, speaking as if I wasn't in the room. "And she's a lady, just give her a chance." I frowned up at him.

"Excuse me, but I'm still here, and I don't want special treatment because of my Father. Besides, I'm not_ young_. I'm almost sixteen. Thats not young!" Ragetti shot me an exasperated look.

"What ever you say Miss-"

"My name is Anamaria," I interrupted loudly.

"Anamaria," he finished. "But I need to go up on deck. I have me work to do." He gave both of us a weak smile, before leaving, the door slamming shut behind him. I cast a long look at the door, then back at Pintel who was glaring coldly at me, before exiting the room as quickly as I could. I really didn't like that man.

_A/N: Hope you liked it. Please review! They keep me going. Like I said, any comments at all are welcome._


	2. Tortuga

_A/N: Well, another chapter up, a little shorter then the last, but still rather long for me. Well, I'm very surprised and happy at the amount of feedback I've gotten back. It really encouraged me to write faster. Please keep giving that feedback, and as I said before, any kind is welcome. Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own it. _

Two weeks later found me sitting in my room, upon my cot, a large pile of clothing beside me and a needle in hand. Apparently word spreads fast around a pirate ship. Imagine that. Word sure got spread quickly that I could sew, and after that there was no stopping it. Every member of the crew it seems has come up to me at one point or another and asked me to mend or patch something. Well, maybe not every member, but it certainly seems it.

Its exhausting work really, and while I'm fairly decent at this type of thing, I also have a quickly expendable level of patience. For those of you that have never mended before, let me just tell you that sitting in a room and making row after row of tiny stitches on cloth thats probably _never_ been mended before and has been worn around a ship for years quickly wears out that patience. If it had been up to me, quite a few of those shirts would have made lovely cleaning rags, but alas that sort of decision is out of my hands.

I let out an angry shout as a particularly large wave rocked the ship and the needle missed its target and lodged itself into my finger. I yanked it out with another scream of rage and stuck my finger in my mouth savagely, throwing the shirtwaist and needle at the wall as I did so. I glared fiercely at it, as it hit said wall and slid to the floor, where it proceeded to lay innocently.

I continued to glower at it but its half completed mocking stare shone back at me. An overwhelming urge to kick the offending article welled up in me, but I decided that would be both ineffectual and silly. Instead I satisfied myself with selecting a new piece, a waistcoat this time, and a new needle from the pile to work on next. Just for emphasis, I shoved the half completed shirtwaist to the very bottom of the pile. Take that.

I paused and looked back at my injured finger to find it was still bleeding freely. Mumbling under my breath, I bent and ripped a strip of linen from one of my underskirts to tie around it in a bandage of sorts. If it was that bad I could get one of the crew to find me a bandage latter. In fact, now that I thought about it, it was rather odd that one of them hadn't asked me what all the shouting was about yet (a few of the crew members had begun to look after me in a rather brotherly manner). Then I remembered that all hands were on deck today in preparation for docking into the island of Tortuga.

That was one thing I had managed to achieve in the two weeks I had stayed here; I was beginning to get the hang of whom I could trust and whom I should avoid. There were far too many crewman to know _all_ individually, (I estimated there were at least fifty) but I at least had a pretty good grasp on the identity of the younger members.

Ragetti, who turned out to be nineteen has become a fairly close ally of mine. In fact I would even dare to call him a friend. He had sort of adapted himself into the position of a guide for me, and had proved to be incredibly helpful so far. There was also Lev, who was not only quite a character but one of the youngest on board at seventeen. We had grown fairly close as well. Then there was Conall, who was in his early twenties. I don't know him very well though, except by sight. I'm afraid he's awfully busy with his duties. You see, according to Ragetti, he's actually an officer on the ship. The Sail Master he says. I'm not exactly sure what that means yet, just that it has something to do with being in charge of the sails and rigging, and is apparently a very prestigious job for someone his age.

Pintel is another one of the younger members, also in his early twenties, though I've dodged him at all costs lately since he's made his dislike for me quite clear. I've recently discovered that he has a little group of followers also, and apparently they all dislike me simply because Pintel does and they all seem to share one mind. Owens and Garrett are their names. I haven't seen Owens much, but Garrett seems wonderfully full of himself since he's an 'Apprentice.' Haven't quite figured out to what, but theres plenty of time for that.

The rest of the crew members I wasn't really familiar with yet, except for fathers First Mate Evans. The rest of the crew were all in the late twenties and early thirties and treated me with a sort of mild indifference. At least to my face.

Sighing, I finished tying my makeshift bandage and tucked the remaining pile of clothes under my bed to finish later. I needed a break. I kicked off my uncomfortable buckled shoes, (lord knows why I kept them, I think they need to take an accidental swim with the fish very very soon) pulled on my pair of soft leather boots, (given to me by Ragetti) and headed up onto the deck.

A great gust of salty sea air hit me as I walked up the stairs and onto the deck. People were bustling around every where and a massive British flag was flying from the mast. False colors according to Ragetti. To keep the other ships on their toes according to Lev.

Evans was currently at the helm, one hand on the broad steering wheel, while the other struggled to keep his braids out of his face. I laughed momentarily at his futile efforts, before going to lean against the starboard side railing. From what I could decipher from all the shouting, I gathered that we would arrive at port in an hour or so. Lovely.

"Are ye still with us lass?" Lev ran a hand through his shoulder length brown hair and leaned against the railing beside me. When I didn't respond instantaneously, he waved a hand in front of my eyes.

"Yes I'm still with _'ye'_ Lev. You don't have to worry about that." He turned his gaze seaward also. The view really was stunning to look at.

"Lookin' forward to land 'gain?"

"Not really, I'm just now able to walk around without looking like I'm severely intoxicated, and now I'm going to have to go through it all again on land!"

"Ah, ye get used to it after a bit. The life of a pirate really. And if ye need it bad'ly I can give ye a hand." I nodded thanks.

"Thank you, I'll need it. What's Tortuga like anyway?"

"Wonderful' place, really is. Most ev'ryone there' a pirate, so there be none of this 'merchant ship' dung that you run into 'n other cities."

"What's there to do?"

"Loads really. There be plenty of taverns, so if yer at all fond of the drink you'll be right at 'ome."

"You know I don't drink. Besides, like I said before, I'll already look drunk enough once I'm on land again."

"Aye well, ye get used to it."

"What _else_ is there to do?"

"Well, eh- not much."

"I thought you said there was 'loads' to do?" I shot him a sly smile.

"Well apparently I was mistaken!" he snapped. After a few moments thought he added; "There _are_ some small shops like 'ny other cities, and a couple of Inns to stay at, but we never use 'em much since we can stay on the ship. And there are plenty of places to, er...," Lev paused and continued on choosing his words very delicately. "Find... pleasant... uh, company- for the night." A light tinge rose in his cheeks and he looked away.

"Lev! For gods sake!" I hit him on the shoulder playfully, before throwing my hands in the air. "You know what? Never mind. I'm staying out of your- personal life entirely, all right? Meaning I don't want to know about it!" Lev smiled, and shrugged.

"What can I say love?" We both looked back out over the water and at the steadily approaching shadow of land in silence, both of us completely content despite the fact that I thought Evans might rupture a lung if he yelled at Lev any louder to get back to work.

* * *

It was nearing mid-day when we strode up from the docks and into the city. Well, I should say Lev and Ragetti strode and they held onto me while I staggered unsteadily. Several of the men had stayed back at the ship (according to Ragetti it was unwise to leave a vessel unattended here) but the rest of the crew has seemed pretty anxious to leave and now filed ahead of us.

As soon as we arrived in the town square, Father and Evans headed off in the direction of one of the taverns to 'clear up some unfinished business,' which I decided from the look on Fathers face and the way Evans' hand rested on his dagger that I probably didn't want to know any more about. Father left though, only after giving us a strict warning that I was not to be left alone for a minute in 'a place such as this,' and finished by shooting a suspicious look at Lev, who put a hand to his chest in a manner of mock surprise.

Slowly, each of the men dispersed and the three of us were left alone, while I looked around the dirty, crowded streets in shock. Scantily clad women with makeup closely resembling house paint were parading around on the arms of men who made no secret to that of their intoxication, and more then one brawl was making itself known. And it was only mid-day!

"Well, what 'r we to do now?" Lev asked, interrupting my thoughts and rubbing his hands together, a sly smile on his face. Ragetti pulled a folded and sealed piece of parchment out of his pocket.

"Got a message to deliver," he muttered looking around for a way to fight the crowd. "Lets 'ead that way," he said, putting a hand on the small of my back and pushing me through the crowds.

"Where are we going?" I asked, ducking under a mans flying fist. He ended up hitting another man who currently passing by, who then stopped, cursed at the other man, and joined in.

"Up to the Inn. Everyone leaves messages there, and everyone knows to check for messages there." Ragetti was forced to raise his voice as we passed by a tavern from which loud, drunken singing was pouring through the open door.

A moment later, the back door of the tavern opened and a man tossed a large bucket of what appeared to be food scrapes from the kitchen into the already muddy road, and I was forced to jump out the way as it sloshed right where I had been standing. This combined with the fact that I was still swaying dangerously caused me to nearly tumble over and would have splashed right into the mud if Lev hadn't been walking along slowly and staring absently at one of the passing girls. He was in just the right position for me to grab his arm and halt my descent.

A fairly small and broken down building came into view just ahead of us, which I could only assume was the Inn. Several men sat on the porch, tankards in hand, leering at us as we passed. Ragetti glared at them coldly, before pushing me behind he and Lev. Normally I would have hated being shown extra attention like this merely because I was a girl, but in this particular circumstance I didn't mind one bit.

Inside was a small room was a long wooden counter running the entire length of the wall, with an old man slumped over asleep on a stool behind it. Pealing yellow wallpaper covered the walls, and a dingy red carpet adorned the floor. A few rusted keys hung on the wall behind the counter, but other then that it was completely unadorned.

"_This_ is the Inn?" I whispered sharply in Lev's ear as he stopped near the door and held out an arm for me to do the same. He shrugged and Ragetti slowly approached the sleeping man at the desk.

"Oi! Sir!" When the man didn't respond, Ragetti pulled out his dagger and prodded him a few times with the hilt. "Sir!" The man began to stir, before jumping up and looking around, mumbling incoherently all the while. "Sir!" Ragetti continued. "We have a message to leave."

"Wha?" the man mumbled, sitting back down on his stool and rubbing his eyes. Ragetti raised his voice.

"We have messages to leave for the ships in harbor!"

"Wha? Oh. Yes, jus a minute then." The man ducked behind the counter and came back out with a flask in hand. After taking a long sip he straightened and accepted the folded paper Ragetti handed him.

"Anythin else for ye?"

"Yes, are there messages for any one on _The Validus_?" The man placed the letters Ragetti gave him in various small boxes that lines the back wall, and pulled several pieces of parchment from another.

"'Ere ye are lad. 'Ave a nice night. Or morning-" The man took another long draw from his flask before lying his head upon the counter again. Ragetti tucked the papers in his pocket, turned, grabbed my arm and exited swiftly. The three of us began our trek back to the ship.

* * *

"I'm so confused!" I wailed, looking down at the assortment of cards in my hands. 

"I've already explained the rules to ye three times lass," Lev said, taking a sip from the bottle of cheap alcohol he had picked up on the way back. The three of us were sitting on the deck right now, taking a turn watching over the ship so the others could go on land a while. A large wooden crate was serving as a table for us, and three upturned buckets as chairs.

"I know you have, but I'm still confused," I threw my cards down agitatedly, and shoved them across to Ragetti. "You play, I'll just watch." He shrugged, picked them up and began playing. I soon discovered it was pointless to try and watch though, they were both so skilled at the game that by the time I finally figured out why one move was made, they were already three moves ahead. I sighed and rested my head on my hands in resignation.

Two games later ( I think), Father and Evans returned. Father looked the same as he had, wearing his colorful outfit of a captain's jacket, breeches, and striped socks (after the fashion of British noble men) but there was a large bruise forming on Evans' cheekbone, and a bit of blood stained his shirt.

"How'd your meetin' with Kowal's men go?" Ragetti asked, never looking up.

"Fine," Father muttered, looking at me in a way that clearly said he wasn't going to talk about it while I was lurking around. Ragetti nodded and pulled the small pile of parchments from his waistcoat pocket.

"Here you are Capt'n," he said, keeping his cards in one hand and passing the stack over to him. "Messages for the crew. They were up at the Inn when we went to drop off ours." Father nodded, before heading downstairs to his cabin.

"Whose Kowal?" I asked, when I was sure Father and Evans were safely out of ear shot.

"No one," Ragetti said quickly, shooting a pointed look at Lev, who took another long sip from the bottle. Judging by what I could see through the dusty green glass it was nearly half empty.

"Ah, no point in not tellin 'er Ragetti, shes bound to be findin out eventually. He's another pirate you see, and ye could say he and the Capt'n got a bit of a rivalry goin'."

"What sort of rivalry?" I asked eagerly. Lev held up a hand and swayed a bit drunkenly.

"No, I'm not tellin ye anymore. I told ye who he was and thats good enough. Don't want ta end up on the Capt'ns bad side now do I." Lev threw down his cards determinedly, and waggled a finger at me. I bit mylip harshly to stifle a laugh.

"To late," Ragetti muttered under his breath. Lev didn't seem to hear him. Father reappeared on the deck a moment later, and walked over to us.

"I figured since we're in port and all, and since your birthday's in a week Ana, that we could have a nice big dinner tonight. And just to let you know ahead of time Lev, Sparrow and his son are coming by as well. Something about a proposition for me." Father held up one of the folded pieces of parchment. Lev nodded. When father had retreated back downstairs, I turned to Lev.

"Why does he have to warn you that this Sparrow fellow is bringing his son?" Ragetti gave an awkward sounding laugh, his eyes still intent on his cards. Lev glared at him.

"Lets just say we 'ave creative differences," he said stubbornly. Ragetti laughed again.

"Lev 'ere ended up with a black eye last time they saw each other. Never gotten on well to say the least."

"He's a bastard if I ever did see one," Lev said savagely, picking up his cards again and studying them with an interest to intent to be real.

"He's a lot like you!" Ragetti cried, picking a card from his hand and laying it down. "He drinks, he visits women in Tortuga all the time, he's even better then you with a sword, which hes demonstrated _quite_ a few times might I add, and he's dishonest. "

"I'm not dishonest!" Ragetti rolled his eyes.

"Right."

* * *

Carefully, I flipped my head upside down and dipped my long hair in the bucket of fresh water I had drawn up from the well on the edge of town. After two weeks of washing only in salt water, my hair was stringy and dry, and I could still feel the salt on my skin after two washes. I _did_ still find it difficult to bath out of a bucket, though I was slowly getting used to it. I grabbed the small cake of plain soap that Father had given me, and covered my hands in it, before rubbed it into my hair and dipped my head in the bucket again. The cool water was refreshing.

I grabbed a large piece of linen from my trunk, using it to carefully dry my hair, before brushing and braiding it. Once finished I washed my face one last time in a last ditch attempt to be rid of the salt. When I was done, I felt clean and refreshed, my skin was raw and tingling slightly. I pulled on a clean dress, refastened my boots, and headed back up to the deck.

Lev and Ragetti were already there, looking considerably more cleaned up then they had an hour ago, yet still looking a dash intoxicated on the part of Lev. They were back at the card table, playing now with Pintel, and Garrett as well. I couldn't hear much of what they were talking about, but I didn't quite feel like joining the four. Several other members of the crew were om deck as well. Leaning against railings or sitting on crates. One man had even pulled out a set of hand pipes, and was playing a slow, mournful tune on them, while several of his friends tried to sing along. In the shimmery light of the moon, I noticed a lone man sitting on a platform high in the rigging keeping watch.

At a loss of what to do, I wandered up to the bow of the ship, and sat down on the deck by the railing, my feet dangling over the side. Even though we were in harbor, there was a lovely breeze about, and I felt totally at peace sitting there. Dusk had fallen now, and the water appeared to be a deep ebony color, the ripples glistening slightly in the now growing moonlight.

In the immediate vicinity I could hear the soft lapping of water against the hull, and the faint cawing of birds as they settled in for the night. From farther away, in town strains of drunken singing could be heard, and the sounds of various brawls.

Suddenly, shouting erupted from the docks several yards away. From the sounds of it, two men were yelling, and a moment later, the sounds of people hitting each other started up as well. I jumped up and leaned against the railing, eyes staining to see what was going on in the darkness. All I could make out though, were three vague shapes, one of which stood aways away, its posture suggesting boredom, while the other two were busy attacking each other. Another moment passed, before a large splash echoed throughout the harbor, and the two remaining figures proceeded forward, towards _The Validus_.

I turned and sped down to the rear of the ship, where Father had lowered a plank of wood onto the dock and the two figures became cleared as they climbed on board.

"Ian..." Father muttered, giving the first man a long look.

"What?" he said shrugging. "He was in my way." Father laughed and I looked at the man closely. He wore clothes similar to that which the rest of the men had, except he wore a knee-length black coat fastened over top, and had a long sword fastened at his side. He looked to be about Fathers age, with long black hair pulled back in a leather cord and greenish eyes.

I could feel Lev and Ragetti's sudden presence beside me, and turned to look at them. A deep scowl adorned Lev's face as he glared off at the figure behind Sparrow. I followed his gaze and noticed a youth standing there. I was surprised to notice that he was looking at me, his dark eyes holding a look of mild interest. Once, our eyes locked however, I became oblivious to everything else around me.

_A/N: Hope you liked it, and I know it ends rather abruptly, but I wanted to post something before I left. Please review! And just as a little treat, here's a few sentence teaser for chapter three, which is in the works:_

"I know what yer thinking." Jack paused. "The door is shut," he took a step closer to me, though I could do nothing except press myself harder against the bed frame. "We're already in a cabin. The crew wouldn't hear you even if you did scream with all the noise up there, and lets face it love, when it comes to strength, I've got ye there." Jack grabbed my wrist tightly and my heart caught in my throat.

_Hehe... Thats a mean teaser to give you all, but I couldn't resist. _

_Hollie: Sorry if its not enough Jack for you, but he is in it! blushes Your too kind. Really, I don't deserve the compliments. _

_DarkAngelB: You'll see about the pairing. And I'm glad its better then you thought anyway._

_slvrfng: Yeah, Pintel is rather scary... Well, if you ever do type one, be sure to let me know! I'd want to read it._

_ElfVulcan: hehe... Of course Jack's in it! How could he not be? I love Jack to much for him to not be in it._

_Jessica: Glad you liked it!_

_mornie alantie: Thanks for the review, glad you liked it!_

_Nati Fire-Mage: No problem about reading your story, as long as you post more soon. And yeah, Johnny Depp is hot, shame he's 40. _

_Court: Yes, I do look forward to writing Jack, (I only got a line of him in this chapter) however don't expect him to be quite as loopy as in the movie. Since hes so young he hasn't quite lost it yet. I'm at three right now, but tomorrow afternoon in will be four. _

_Eskimo: One more familiar face in this chapter! Who else do you think I should bring into it? I can't quite decide. _

_Mariam: Confusing? How so? Please let me know so I can fix it. And don't worry, there will be plenty of Jack in this fic. _

_PinkPineapple: Yes, definitely before the wooden eye. lol. Glad you like it. And Ragetti? Really?_

_Please review!_


	3. Sparrows

_A/N: Ugg. I'm sorry its been so long, but I've been super busy with school. I also know this chapter is_ wicked_ short, but I was out of time and figured I'd just better end it where it was, hence the rather abrupt ending. I'll post more next time though! I'm promise. And thanks so much to all my reviewers, I can't respond to you now, but just know I love you all! Well, not like that. _

The youth looked to be about nineteen, and I must admit he was very handsome. Long black hair hung neatly down his back, offset by striking features and olive skin. His dark eyes were rimmed in some sort of black substance, what it was I couldn't tell, and he wore a new looking blueish gray jacket over a well worn tunic.

Several seconds passed of us looking at each other, his dark eyes, meeting my brown ones, before Lev interrupted.

"Sparrow," he snarled, nodding his head in a tense form of greeting. I jumped and looked away from the boy quickly, as did he, though he recovered quickly and turned his now cold gaze on Lev.

"Ilin," he snapped, also using surnames, and nodding his head tersely. Something more probably would have erupted from the situation, if father hadn't paused from speaking with his friend and addressed me.

"Ana, this here is Ian Sparrow, one of my close friends. Ian, this is my daughter Anamaria." Ian looked at me and then father with uplifted eyebrows.

"Daughter?" he said grinning slightly. He quickly replaced his grin with a solemn face. "Nice to meet you Anamaria."

"And this-" father said, gesturing to the youth. "Is Ian's son Jack." Jack bowed with a flourish, kissing my hand. I half got the feeling he was mocking me for my upbringing, but at the same time was being very charming. It was obvious from the look of him though, that he was acting out of character. He was a pirate at heart.

"Nice to meet you, Milady." His face was serious, yet those eyes held laughter.

"Nice to meet _you_ Jack," I replied, giving a mock curtsy.

"Meals ready!" The voice of Leon, the ships robust yet friendly cook, rang out from the galley. Jack offered me an arm, and grinning I took it. Upon reaching the kitchens, I sat in my usual seat, Jack sitting across from me on one of the extra chairs dragged up to the table informally.

"Happy birthday," Ragetti muttered, pressing a small object wrapped in a rag into my hand as he slid into his seat beside me. I smiled at him, and opened it under the table as food was dished out and everyone spoke merrily. Laying neatly in the rag, was a braided hemp choker, with several wooden beads strung on it, which I guessed he had carved himself. I had seen him out on the deck carving things several times. In the center was a round bead, with the detailed figure of a ship on it. On either side of that, were several smaller beads depicting islands, waves, and birds. I smiled widely and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Thank you!" I whispered, smiling. I could feel Jack's eyes on me throughout the exchange, and while I was uncomfortable, I said nothing. Lev walked past on the way to his seat and dropped something into my lap, trying to look casual. I frowned at him, confused by his behavior, before examining the object. A small dagger, the blade no longer then my hand, lay resting there in a beautiful leather sheath. A scrap of folded paper tucked along side the hilt caught my attention and I carefully opened it. Several rows of Lev's neat handwriting were scrawled on it, reading:

_'Keep it under the table, your father would kill me if he knew I gave you a weapon. Still, every good pirate needs one.' _

I looked up from the note and over at Lev who was sitting on the other side of the table, several seats down. I caught his eye and nodded my thanks discreetly. He grinned.

Like always, food was passed around on large patters, slices of meat, a dish of fruits, and a great black pot of a rich fish stew. Conversation started up right away, and several bottles of good wine were passed around. Ragetti passed me a bowl of stew, which I took gratefully, suddenly starving more thanks to the wonderful aroma drifting from it then from actual hunger, and began to eat silently.

I noticed also that Jack spoke naught at all through out the meal, and only smiled weakly when I managed to get my hands on one of the bottles of wine through no fault of my own, due to the fact that Ragetti absentmindedly handed it to me while he was in the middle of a conversation. I must explain that wine at this table was not drunken quiet as finely as it would be at a proper table, but instead someone opens it and passes it around, with people drinking straight from the bottle.

I, upon noticing that no one realized I had it, cautiously lifted it to my lips and took a sip. The wine was indeed warming and sweet, but it also held a bitter taste to it after a few sips, which I didn't really like. I took one final sip and handed the bottle back to Ragetti casually. He cast me a shocked look, yet didn't say anything in order to keep father from noticing his slip up. I grinned at him triumphantly.

After dinner was over and Leon was busy gathering plates in a large bucket, Father stood up and cleared his throat softly to gain everyones attention.

"I would like to just wish my dear child a happy sixteenth birthday, and present her with something before we continue with our festivities tonight." Father smiled and handed me a rounded box.

"Just a little something I had made while we were in Port Royal. Not everyday your little girl turns sixteen," he muttered gruffly. I thanked him and opened it. Inside, under several layers of thin paper lay a navy blue hat made of a smooth material almost like velvet. It was so new it was still stiff, and the place where the flat top met the broad brim was lined with a length of white braid.

"Thank you father!" I cried, setting it back in its wrappings, and throwing my arms around his neck. He laughed.

"I have one more announcement to make before we continue! Sparrow came to me tonight with an interesting proposition, and thanks to his wonderful debating skills I have decided that we shall accept his son Jack on board as a member of our crew!" Shocked, I turned to look at Jack to gauge his reaction. Had he know about this? Apparently not. From the look on his face the news was definitely unexpected. He didn't however look very surprised. I now turned my gaze over to Lev, who was currently staring absently at the wall, disbelief etching his features.

The rest of our crew seemed to take it a bit better. As soon as the news was announced they all began clapping and cheering. Perhaps it was merely from all the wine however, as most of them didn't really know Jack at all and we didn't really _need_ another crew member.

"In order to give Sparrow a bit of time to pack and get ready and such, we'll continue with our plans to set sail for a few months and load up on some loot and take him on when we return._ The Pearl's_ undergoing a few repairs so she'll still be here when we return." This statement was met with more cheering for no particular reason. Yup, it was the wine.

"Well, with that note men, it's eight o'clock and you know what that means!" More cheering. "So, let us go!" With that, the crew proceeded up to the deck with more bottles of wine and beer to drink themselves under the table with. Except for the fact that they were leaving the tables behind here. Standing, I clutched my gifts to my chest and stood back out of the way trying not to get trampled in the clamor to get topside. Leon extinguished the candles and followed them. I waited a few moments as their clamor faded and I was sure everyone was gone, then slipped out of the room and headed to my cabin. Once inside, I settled down on the floor beside me trunk and opened the lid.

It was pitch black in the room with only a small beam of moonlight, hardly enough to see by, coming in through the window. Blindly, I groped about the inside of my trunk and pulled one of a half burned candle from of the small bundle I was given upon arrival. Carefully, I lit it, set it in its holder so it wouldn't tip, and put it on the floor. I knew what father had meant when he said it was after eight. I would be careful though, and I just wanted to put my things away. You see, no candles are allowed to burn under the decks on a ship after eight o'clock. Well, on most ships anyway. You see, pirates have a tendency to like to drink a bit much, and lets just say that most alcohol is highly flammable. Pair that with a wooden ship and you can see why its not such a great combination. Ah well. I'd blow it out in a minute.

I turned my attention to the small pile of gifts I had received. The necklace I looked at again in the candle light, before fastening it about my neck, and the dagger and hat I set carefully in my trunk. Carefully, I began to lower the lid, only to jump and drop it with a clatter when a voice suddenly rang out from behind me.

"I'm afraid no one told me the fair lady was sixteen today, or I would have come with a gift." I sprang to my feet, and whirled around, wishing that I still had the dagger in hand, only to be greeted with the sight of Sparrow's son leaning casually against the doorframe. I relaxed a little, though a very little.

While I had become good friends with Lev and Ragetti and was left alone by older members of the crew because I was the captains daughter, I was still acutely aware that I was the only female on the ship. I was also acutely aware of just how much taller and stronger Jack was then I, and of the fact that he was currently blocking the only way out of the small space. Pirates were sometimes known to be pirates. Imagine that.

"I'm still fifteen," I muttered, my voice shaking slightly. I tried desperately to calm it, hoping that he didn't notice. "For another week." The candle was burning low, and the light was flickering, about to go out.

"My apologies," Jack replied, dipping his head and taking a small step forward, his voice smooth and strong. I took a step back quickly, feeling the sharp edge of my cot digging into the backs of my knees. I remained silent. In the flickering light I also became aware again of just how beautiful his eyes were. Dark and entrancing.

"How are ye enjoying you stay here, in Tortuga?" I clasped my hands tightly in front of me, trying to stop them from shaking. I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Jack noticed my fear this time, and looked at me curiously, before realization dawned on his features and he gave me a sly smile. One that I didn't particularly like.

"Ah. Yer not used to dealing with pirates, _are _ye love." He flashed me a roguishly handsome half grin, and cast a glance over his shoulder at the stairwell leading to the galley, before swinging the thin wooden door closed behind him and making sure it would stay closed.

"I know what yer thinking. The door is shut," he took a step closer to me, though I could do nothing except press myself harder against the bed frame. "We're already in a cabin, the crew wouldn't hear you even if you did scream with all the noise up there, and lets face it love, when it comes to strength, I've got ye there." Jack grabbed my wrist tightly and my heart caught in my throat. Slowly, ever so slowly, his eyes never leaving mine, he lowered his head and dragged his lips across my knuckles. Mentally, my brain was going crazy and my pulse flying, for even in this particular situation, I couldn't help but think about how wonderful his lips felt against my skin.

"But-" Jack dropped my hand abruptly, his tone lightening. "To be honest, if I'd wanted to, eh... do something lass, I already would 'a done it." He held out both hands in front of me, palms up, as if showing me he held nothing. Several seconds passed of silence, our eyes locked, until the tension was interrupted by the light from the candle flickering and going out, throwing us into total darkness. I cursed softly.

"And where may I ask, fair lady, did ye hear that word?" I could hear Jack, I just couldn't see him. I knelt down, feeling for the candle. Finally, I detected it and scooped the remains up in one hand.

"I've been on this ship far too long."

"What do you mean by that? Ye don't like the sea?" Slowly my eyes began to adjust to the darkness.

"Oh, I do! I just mean that I'm already starting to act like the crew in some ways." Jack gave me an appraising look, up and down, taking in my clean dress and braided hair. I could feel his gaze more than I could see it.

"Believe me _Ms._ Thomson, ye still have a long way to go before ye start actin' like a true pirate." I opened the lid of my trunk again and deposited the old candle, hands quickly finding a new one and setting it in its holder. Only a moment passed before Jack's hand closed over mine, staying its motions.

"Perhaps ye shouldn't do that_ fair_ lady. The first one was already 'gainst the rules." I dropped my hands, a blush creeping into my cheeks. His hand was warm upon mine. Slowly, I turned and dropped the candle back in my trunk. My eyes were almost completely adjusted to the darkness anyway, and the turning of the ship on a wave flooded the room with light from the moon.

Jack pulled his hand away, suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Oh, and 'bout before... I must apologies for scarin you like that." He smiled mischievously. "But I'm afraid the look on yer face made it worth all the while." Jacks smile changed to a smirk.

I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks and I felt my hands start to shake again, but from rage this time. I opened my mouth to say something, paused, closed my mouth, pursed my lips, and slapped him hard across the face.

"Bastard!" I hissed through clenched teeth.

_A/N: Hope you liked it! Please review._

_A quick teaser here for chapter 4._

The ship was obviously much slower then ours, and it fought a vicious battle with the waves but its size held it back. A British flag flew from the mast, and I wondered again what was going on, until I looked above me and caught sight of the black of the pirate flag flying from our mast. Shock sank over me as I realized what was about to happen, and I glanced around again, looking for some sign the maybe my suspicions were wrong. Oh! Pray god they're wrong!


	4. The Trader

_A/N: Ugg. Sorry its taken a while. Between being away, my computer crashing, and exams starting Monday, I've been totally swamped. Today I'm home sick though (as our dear friend Jack would say, its not the 'opportune' moment for me to be ill, with exams, and a play tomorrow morning. My sickness came complete with a total loss of my voice.) But at least I was able to get some writing done. Hope you all enjoy it! This chapter was immensely difficult to write. _

_Disclaimer: I don't own it. _

He lifted his gaze to look at me a moment later, a hand pressed against the side of his face in disbelief, mouth hanging open slightly.

"What the 'ell was that!" I glared at him stoutly and crossed my arms, plopping down on the end of my bed.

"You deserved it."

"I did not!"

"Yes you did!" Jack sighed at my response.

"Women are hopeless sometimes," he muttered. I whirled around to glared at him and he put up his hands quickly shielding his face. "I didn't mean it!" I smiled slightly, before standing and strolling into the hallway and up the staircase leading to the deck. I could hear Jack's heavy footsteps following me.

The cool ocean breeze hit me the moment I stepped foot on the deck, and I turned my face up to it as I strolled the length of the ship, sitting myself down near the bow, my legs dangling over the side. A few moments later, I felt Jack set himself down next to me, close enough that I could feel the heat from his body. A few moments of silence passed before he spoke.

"I'm sorry." For a second I considered calling him a bluff, but decided that it wasn't worth it. His tone sounded genuine enough anyway.

"It's alright," I muttered frowning. We sat in silence for a moment, looking up into the night sky. "So..." I reached desperately for a topic of conversation. "Why exactly are you leaving your fathers ship?"

"To be honest, I don' rightly know. Didn't even know I was till yer father made that announcement this evenin. Can't really say it came as a shock though. We've never gotten on very well." Jack paused, staring out at the water in thought. "I think he may actually fear a mutiny from me. Though if he ever even took the time to get to know 'is own son, e'd know I'd _never_." A note of resentment sprang up in his voice as he spoke.

"Why ever would he fear that?"

"Well, I have me small group of friends on that ship, and we be younger and stronger then the others, but honest'ly, what's four or five men goin to do agains' forty others? He's bloody mad. To be honest, I don't know quite what he's afraid of." He shrugged.

"Oh there was that one incident though with his first mate." He chuckled softly as if recalling a fond memory. When he didn't seem about to explain I decided not to press it. Several minutes passed before a voice called out from behind us.

"Sparrow," I could hear the distaste plainly in Lev's voice. "Yer father said to tell you that ye be leaving. He's waitin' for ye on the docks."

"I'll be there in a moment." Jack responded, standing up slowly. I did also. Lev's retreating footsteps were loud in the still night air.

"Well Milady," Jack said smiling, and kissing my hand mockingly. That roughish smile flashed across his face again. "I must bid ye farewell. For now." He turned and strode off toward the dock, leaving me standing there, the image of his eyes clearly burned into my memory.

* * *

As the ship crashed over another wave the crate I was sitting on slid several inches across the galley floor. I ignored it, quickly finishing the last few stitches on the hem of the dress in my hand, knowing another wave would slid me back soon enough.

The dress I was sewing was one of the ones I had brought with me, of which I had just finished shortening the hem to about mid-calf. The other two, one of which I had on, I had already finished. I'd discovered the hard way, over my time spent on the ship, that long dresses really don't work when trying to walk on a heaving deck. After already tearing the hem out of several dresses (mostly just from stepping on them, or catching them on loose nails, and also from of that one time when I was nearly pitched overboard from tripping on a hem) I decided something needed to be done.

I sighed and paused to tie off a thread when a shout could be heard from on deck, interrupting the steady chanting of the crew as they went about their work. What was being said, however I couldn't tell. Leon, (The ships old cook and herbalist. A sweet man really, though you'd never know by the look of him. Lost a few of his fingers in battle and therefore can't work a gun. And lets just say a dentist would run and hide after a single look in his mouth) who was standing at the other end of the small room, a mop in hand as he scrubbed the floor, looked up at the door expectantly. Heavy foot steps echoed down the stairs from the deck and Lev stuck his head in the open door a few moments later.

"Tradin ship a'head! Evans' spotted it!" He cried, before sprinting off to the bunks and the captains quarters, shouting his message over and over as he went. Leon sprang into action as soon as the call was given, the old sailor in him acting up immediately. He even knocked over his bucket of water in his haste to pull a long knife from the galley drawer and take off up the stairs. I myself wasn't sure what was going on quite yet. I frowned slightly, before setting aside my sewing and walking to the door, the salt water from the bucket splashing softly over my boots. I stuck my head into the hallway, curiosity taking over as father and Lev went rushing up the stairs. Why all this bother for a simple trading ship?

I carefully reached down and felt the inside of my boot, making sure the small leather sheath and knife that Lev had given me was still in its place, before hurrying upstairs. As I reached the deck, shouting grew louder, and I accidently ran headlong into Garrett.

"Get out of the way child!" he cried, cursing and grabbing my shoulder in a bruising grip. "My services are needed immediately!" He quickly redirected me out of his way and let go with a harsh shove. Sweet lord. Could he be any more pretentious? From the way he spoke you would think he a father and I a toddler. I frowned after him as he darted down the stairs then turned to watch the commotion as I rubbed my shoulder absently.

Father and Evans were huddled up by the steering wheel, heads together and talking softly, whilst shouting filled the air. Curious, I walked over to the railing and grabbed hold of one of the many ropes running along the side. Carefully, and holding on to the rope as tightly as I could, I leaned over to catch a glimpse of what was going on. The hulking merchant ship was swiftly growing in the distance, its billowing sails looking like clouds in the afternoon sky.

The ship was obviously much slower then ours, and it fought a vicious battle with the waves though its size held it back. A British flag flew from the mast, and I wondered again what was going on, until a flash of black in the corner of my eye caught my attention. Slowly, dreading what I was about to witness, I turned my head to watch our cheerful British flag hit the deck as a black flag of skulls and swords was heaved up on thick ropes. Shock sank over me as I realized what was about to happen, and I glanced around again, looking for some sign the maybe my suspicions were wrong. Oh! Pray god they're wrong!

Garrett came rushing back up the stairs a moment later, a large bundle in his arms. Working quickly, he laid it on the deck and broke open the rope around it with a dagger. The linen fell away to reveal scores of leather sheaths, all in excellent condition. Garrett then set to work passing them around to the nearby crew members as they worked. Ragetti, after grabbing a sheath and fastening it to his belt, walked over to me.

"What's that?" I asked, gesturing to the sheath with a shaky hand.

"Oh," he reached over and drew out a long, slightly curved sword. "Cutlass." He said, showing it to me. "Wouldn't want to be unarmed now would we?"

"Unarmed for what?" I crossed my fingers discreetly. Ragetti, bearing an agility I could only ever hope to possess, grabbed hold of the rope I had used and sprang up onto the railing, balancing on one foot. Throwing his weight into said rope, he leaned dangerously out over the water and pointed to the ship as it grew larger and larger on the horizon.

"She doesn't have a prayer." he called down to me. "We're much faster. Catching up to them is only a matter of time." I was shocked at how casually he spoke. Ragetti spun around the rope and landed with a thud on the deck.

"You mean we're going to- to attack it!" I cried incredulously. He looked at me strangely.

"Look around Ana. Listen to the orders. We're pirates. It's what we do, like it or not." Open mouthed, I turned and surveyed the scene in front of me again. Men were scrambling up into the rigging now under the watchful eye of Conall, guns in hand. Instructions filled the air, though most of them were in such a complicated sailors slang I couldn't decipher a word of them. One voice in particular however, stood out.

Amman, the towering and burly African who held the position of Master Gunner and Master of Arms, strode the length of the deck shouting. While I had never been quite sure exactly what the Master Gunner was supposed to do prior to this, I understood now. His gunnery crew was almost fully assembled, a small group of which stood at each cannon. Under his orders, each cannon was being loaded and positioned. Ready to shoot.

"Ana!" Father shouted to me from his position at the helm. I snapped my head up to look at him. "Go below deck!" I sighed.

"Must I?" I called back. "I want to see whats going on!"

"Yes!" He called back, no explanation at all. I frowned, and turned my gaze back to Amman and his men, showing no sign of moving.

"Ragetti!" Father called. Ragetti looked over, and father gave him a slight hand signal I could see quite clearly from the corner of my eye. Ragetti nodded.

"Captains orders," he muttered softly, before slipping an arm snugly around my waist and slinging me over one shoulder. Again, I marveled at how much stronger he was then he looked. Feeling it would just be silly to try and resist, I frowned and crossed my arms, resting them on his shoulder. We reached my room, and Ragetti set me down carefully on the bed, looking intently into my eyes.

"Do not leave this room, until the fighting has stopped. Do you understand?" I frowned and nodded my head. I felt distinctly like a child being put in a time out.

"Are you sure you heard me?" I nodded again, and Ragetti left, shutting my door securely behind him.

I stared aimlessly at the wooden wall of my bunk, deep in thought. Cries grew louder on the deck and I wondered how much closer the trading ship was. I stared at the wall for a moment longer, before springing to my feet and balancing on my cot, face pressed against the port hole. I had forgotten I had this window! I spent several moments there, careening my neck at unnatural angles and futilely trying to catch a glimpse of what was going on. It wasn't working. I had been just about to give up and sit down, when a rogue wave struck the side of hull, heaving the ship.

Caught off guard, (and precariously balanced) the impact of the wave tossed me off the cot with potent force. I landed, quite ungracefully I might add, on my back in the middle of the room. The impact of my back to wood was enough to make any sane person want to scream, but the impact of my head -a second later- with the wood was enough to knock a fully grown man unconscious. And while I'm not a fully grown man, I'm afraid it had quite the same effect on me.

* * *

Pain.

It was all I could think of as my eyelashes began to flutter and my consciousness slowly drained back to me. Complete and utter pain. Where was I? I tried to force coherent thought, but a persistent and blinding pain shot through the back of my head and engulfed me. My entire head was on fire. I strained to open my eyes as much as I dared, though the blinding light in the room made them close.

I waited a few moments, then tried again. This time, the light didn't seem so overpowering, and I was able to survey my surroundings through spinning and unfocused eyes.

Wood was the first thing I noticed. Lots and lots of wood. And a hand. Was that my hand? Oh look, it was. Imagine that. I willed myself to wiggle a few fingers. Slowly, they moved. Well, I guess that means at least I'm not dead...

I lifted my head off the ground a few inches and tried to prop myself up on my elbows. The small room I was in began to spin almost instantly, but after several moments of staring straight ahead the spinning slowed and the cloud of blurriness began to lift. A small cot, made up neatly in my mothers old quilt slowly began to take definition in front of me.

Thats right! I was in my cabin! Where Ragetti and father had sentenced me to remain while the fighting was going on.

Wait a moment, the fight!

Quickly, I sat up straight, listening intently, only to bend forward and wince in pain as my swift movements took full effect. I lifted a hand to the back of my head, praying dearly that there wouldn't be any blood. I'm not sure I could handle it if there was... No, no blood. Just what would develop into a very large bump.

The sounds of shouting and the clashing of swords could be heard above. Very faintly, but still present. Whatever defense was still going on was obviously very weak and small in size. I paused and waited a few moments until the sounds disappeared entirely.

Well, there we go. Ragetti said to stay below deck until the fighting stopped, and it certainly sounded like it stopped to me! Slowly, I got to my feet, cursing and moaning as I did so. The pain in my head had begun to lessen in intensity, but had instead decided to settle into a deep ache right in the back of my head. Lovely.

My hair was a disheveled mess by this point, though to what extent I could only imagine. I didn't really care though. After a quick attempt to merely smooth it down, I turned and headed to the stairs. As soon as I came topside however, the sunlight hit me full on. If I had thought it bright in my shadowy little cabin, it was nothing in comparison to the Caribbean sun. Blindly, I blinked my eyes a few times and held up a hand to shield the light away, while slowly my vision began to return.

The trader was next to us now, several of their long lines tied over top of ours so that a plank could be laid across the two railings. Several crewmen currently stood on deck, two or three of them guarding a richly dressed man who I only assumed must be the traders captain. Many others it seemed, were on board the other ship, corralling the trader's crew into a tight circle. A glance above told me the rest of the men were dangling from the rigging overhead, guns in hand. Ragetti and Conall were among them. I was strongly reminded of armed birds hovering over a scene. Buzzards maybe. Amman and his gunnery team were also standing at ready. Though not a single one of them moved, it was rather obvious they could sink the ship in a second if they got it in their minds too.

The men on the trader seemed to range very much in age, several of them appearing to be only in their mid teens, while others looked to be at least late thirties. They were all very neatly dressed, and exerted the air of a standard bunch of cocky sailors with the exception of the looks of fear etched upon their faces. One man, who appeared to be in his mid twenties, was currently being supported by two of his mates, a hand clutching his upper arm, the previously crisp white ruffles of his shirt drenched in crimson blood.

Tomas (the ships official bosun) and Phillip (his assistant) were also standing on the deck, a pistol trained at the head of whom I could only assume was the first mate. As I approached, Evans, who was still on board_ The Validus_ with father,looked up and yelled for Tomas to take the first mate below to point out where the cargo was kept. Both Tomas and Phillip nodded formally in response and headed off, one keeping a firm grip on the mans tied hands while the other held the pistol in place.

"Father?" I muttered softly, walking forward. All heads immediately jerked towards me.

"What are you doing out of your cabin? Go below deck now." He sounded highly surprised. I don't quite think he expected me to disobey him so directly. Not that I cared.

"Theres no use trying to keep me there now, your obviously rather busy, and we're out of danger," I pointed out calmly. I turned my attention back to the other crew. They were all staring at me astounded. Females on any ship aren't common, let alone a pirate ship. I could feel the many sets of eyes taking me in, from my messy braids, to my sun burned skin, to my shortened skirts, to my thick boots. I smirked in spite of myself.

"What, have you never seen a lady before?" I demanded sarcastically, walking up the railing and leaning against it. Father shot me a reprimanding look. A crash and a very feminine scream could be heard from below deck.

"Apparently they have," Owens murmured.

"Charlotte!" a dashing young officer called out from the group gathered on deck, suddenly struggling to break free. A cutlass against his throat stopped him in mid step.

"And apparentl'y, one of thems already claimed the lass for the night! Shame really!" one of the crew piped up. The other pirates burst into laughter and the officer looked terrible upset. I could tell from the look on his face he wished to reprimand them for saying such things about this 'Charlotte,' but the blade at his throat was enough to make him think better of it and remain silent.

A moment later the girl appeared, still screaming and struggling harshly against Lev's grip. He had her tight however as they came onto the deck, one hand gripping her wrists and the other arm across her stomach, holding her to him. She hadn't a prayer of getting away, but that certainly wasn't stopping her from trying. Pintel appeared a moment later, dragging another, more mild tempered girl of the same age, behind him; with a younger girl of about thirteen slung over his shoulder. The two proceeded across the deck until they were about level with where the captain stood on board _The Validus_.

All three girls were richly dressed in full length gowns and heeled shoes. Pale skin showed how much they kept out of the sun, and they each wore a few pieces of extravagant jewelry. Lev held the first girl, who I guessed was Charlotte, for a moment longer, before giving up and shoving her to the ground. She hit the deck with a thud, and the beginnings of a serious bruise were visible on her cheekbone from the impact when she lifted her head. Her jeweled hair clip fell from her disheveled blond curls and skidded across the deck only to be picked up and examined by Garrett who stood nearest.

"This be a fine piece. Fetch a fair price in market. And from the looks of her, I guess this ain't the only one." Several of the pirates began to laugh again, greed glimmering in their eyes. The girl began to stand in a shaky attempt to flee, but paused a second later, when Lev drew the pistol he kept in his sash and held it to her head. After a moment, she fell back limply, trying to prop herself up on her elbows, silent tears flowing down her face.

"My, looks like you got a feisty one there Lev," Pintell said, smiling a bit. "I got the quiet an' submissive one. Not quite as much fun if ya know wat I mean, but just how I like 'em." He set the younger girl down and shoved her into the waiting arms of Owens who held her fast. He then turned to the elder, who looked to be about eighteen, and drew a finger across her jawline. She closed her eyes in disgust and resignation, muttering something softly under her breath.

"Whats that lass? Aw, how sweet. She be prayin." He cackled cruelly and I felt my heart go out to the girl. They hadn't done anything, why were they to be punished? Just because they happened to be on the ship? Ludicrous. Father ignored the pirates words, but studied the three with a mild curiosity. Everyone fell silent when a moment later when he spoke, addressing the captain.

"Clearly you lie to us. A ship thats traveling between ports without cargo wouldn't have the company of ladies on board. Many would tell you if they had the chance, that there is great folly to be found in lying to pirates. If you have something to share with us, I would certainly advise you do so now." The captain glanced around uncertainly as if trying to decide on a plan of action.

"We are headed towards port. We are indeed a trading ship coming here from England. This girl," he gestured to Charlotte. "Is my niece. The other is her friend and her friends younger sister. The elder two come to fulfill engagements to officers here in the Caribbean. We carry cargo, though it is limited." The man spoke with the calm resignation of one that accepts he is beaten. "Take what you will, just please hurt no one." He spoke with such sincerity it stung my heart. How could the others bear to do this to people? To humans, just like themselves?

Tomas and Phillip burst back up onto the deck, the mate still walking ahead at gunpoint. "They've got cargo indeed, but its limited. Rum makes up the bulk of it. We did find some pretty pieces though in the cabins. Most of the sailors had bags of coin, and there were trunks full of ladies clothes and jewels. Enough to split well among us." A cheer rose throughout the men, while members of the boarding party were chosen to round up everything of value and pile it on the deck of_ The Validus_.

Tomas was right. When they were done, it made a fine lot. Enough rum to be enjoyed for many a day and still more to sell, rare and fine cloths that would fetch a pretty piece if sold in the right market, a few bottles of fine wine, books maps and papers belonging to the captain, coin, gowns, jewelry, spare sails, additional cooking pots, (much to Leon's pleasure) and any and all weapons they could find. The ship seemed stripped bare when we left it. Only enough food to get them to shore remained, and a blanket or two; though our ship sailed back to port considerably lower in the water.

* * *

After that first raid, I had been momentarily horrified, but the longer I sat and thought about it, the less I was disgusted. People are employed in all sorts of professions. Why should this be any different? I realize _some_ pirates are a blood thirsty race, but those upon this ship I do not see in such a light. Thieves we were maybe; but common killers, never. Everyone on that ship got away unharmed, did they not?

Most merchants are probably thieves of a sort themselves really, charging the prices they do for the product they give in return. Maybe pirates are really doing society a favor. And if you think about it, I'm sure there are _loads_ of other professions that resort to common thievery. Look at the Church of England! Charging a tithe just to worship in a church you're required to attend by state law. Its absolutely absurd!

Now I understand I may sound a bit like a pushover here, suddenly condoning behavior thats considered highly unlawful by polite society, but again, why shouldn't I? My very existence isn't condoned by polite society, so why should I care what they deem fit behavior? And while it may seem like I'm spending more time trying to convince myself of what I'm saying more then anything else in this rant, all I can say is- maybe I am.

I need to look at this realisticly though more than anything. If I decide not to condone this type of behavior; what would do? I have nowhere to go, and really no other choice but to accept this and move on. And so I will.

Besides, the worst part of a raid was yet to come. A horror so great, I couldn't have previously imagined it... Yes. More sewing.

I was there in the galley that very afternoon, sitting on my crate and minding my own business when Lev strode in. Everything seemed perfectly normal at first glance, but upon closer inspection, I noticed he was clutching something behind his back.

"Afternoon 'Ana," he said cheerily, leaning against the wall next to me.

"Good afternoon Lev," I muttered frowning. "What do you want now?"

"Ah nothin'. Just wanted to see how ye were doin. So..." he paused uncomfortably. "How ye doing?"

"I'm fine Lev," I replied, looking at him closer and trying to figure out what was wrong. "Just getting something from Leon to fix up a little bump to the head."

"Oh. A bump to' the head- really. That's 'orrible." He paused and took a deep breath before rushing on. "Well, to get to the point' of me visit, I was just wondering somethin. Now, befor' ye say no plain as that, let me explain..." And that's when the cloth came out from behind his back. A bright and colorful cloth that was probably worth a small fortune if sold in the right market. That also explained why he had seemed so nervous. He of all people should know the extent of my great distaste of sewing.

"Well, ye see, we were just divvying up the loot, and I got this lovely piece o' mat'erial, and I thought it would be jus' lovely if I could sew it up into a shirt. It dawned on me though, that I can't sew and that ye can, and I thought that just maybe I could ask ye very very nicely to sew one for me?" Lev's face shone with excitement and he looked at me hopefully. Rolling my eyes, I relented. At least I'd be working with new material this time. Not stuff that had gotten dragged round a ship for years. Lev thanked me and bounded off, while I settled back on the crate.

"That, little lass, was a horrible mistake," Leon chided, coming out of his little pantry of herbs. He held in his hand a small bundle of herbs wrapped in a damp rag. "Now take this and just hold it to yer head for as long as ye need." I smiled and thanked him. Leon's methods of healing seemed spotty at best, but considering the lack of other options, I had figured it was worth a go. As I stood to go, I turned to him.

"May I ask why that was such a horrible mistake?" Leon only grinned, turning back to the dirty dishes in the tub near by.

"Well, ye know how fast word spreads on a ship lass. And after a raid such as tha' cloth spreads fast too." I groaned and looked at the bright material in my hand. What had I gotten myself into?

Sure enough, almost as soon as I stepped out of the galley, a hopeful looking Phillip awaited me. Soon followed by an equally hopeful looking Alec. I declare! Pirates seem to come out of the woodwork when they want something. The next few days for me were spent down in my little room sewing up clothes.

Truthfully, I didn't really mind all that much though. It gave me a sense of value on the ship. I could provide them with something that they otherwise wouldn't have. Clean and mended clothes. Minor it may seem, but when your struggling as much as I was to fit in on a daily basis, anything seems like a step in the right direction.

And however annoying it was, I can't deny that one positive _did_ come out of the experience. One lone shirt pushed me inevitably closer to the man that unknowingly started me on my path of becoming a true pirate.

_A/N: And there it ends. Sigh Hopefully my next chapter will be quicker in coming, though unfortunately, I have yet to start it. Therefore my teaser below is written on the spot, and my not be _exactly_ as it will come in the following text. Anyway, thanks to all my reviewers!_

_RougeAnana: So glad you love it. And don't feel bad, I get rather distracted writing it sometimes too. _

_lilitaliandragon: Glad you liked it! Thanks for the review!_

_meankittygurl: Is that a good thing, or a bad thing? _

_cal: Thanks for such a long review! I love them like that, its not just a hey great story! I actually get to hear what you liked about it and all that, and it helps me to write future chapters also. Umm, I agree with you about Ragetti, I got the feeling that there were a few bad spots in him, but that generally he was just following Pintel, who seemed to be one of his best friends. Oh! I just got an idea! I just got an idea! does idea dance Thank you for helping to assist the idea! You'll just have to wait and see what it is though. Thanks for the review, and all the lovely praise, I'm afraid I don't deserve the half of it though._

_Hollie:; Good to hear from you again. Umm, yeah I had to repeat that little chant over and over again while writing this fic. Its so hard, cause he's so awesome, but at least, I can comment on his devilish good looks and all that still being from Ana's point of view. No, I haven't seen Once Upon a Time in Mexico yet (I want to see it so badly, but haven't had time)though I did hear about the little mishap with his gorgeous eyes! And I couldn't resist putting that comment in there, even on screen you can't help but get lost in them, so I can only imagine what its like in person. Glad you liked the teaser, and thanks for the review!_

_Court: Hey! Good to hear from you again. Me! Abandon this story? No way! I love it to much. It is taking me lots of time to post though cause I have like no free time, and its getting a little harder to write, but don't worry. If this story goes on hold, you'll know about it, and I don't intend on doing that anytime soon. Well, thanks for the review, and I'm glad you liked it!_

_Amber Myst: Glad you liked it! Thanks for the review!_

_Teaser time! Whooh! Ok. Now I have to think. What bit should I put in here? So many choices..._

"Mulatto scum!" I lunged at the man the second the term left his lips. Who was he to insult me? He was the one picking on a sixteen year old girl! Ragetti grabbed my arms behind my back and held on tightly, though I continued to struggle fiercely. The man stood back just out of range of my kicking legs and surveyed me harshly. He turned and looked at Ragetti pointedly.

"Be sure to keep your whore in line next time."


	5. Working Aloft

_A/N: Hello all. New chapter out. I'm sorry its been so long, but I've been going through some hard times lately, and haven't found much time to write. Really rather not go into that right now though... And with all that and school... ugg. So, please except my humble apologies. I hope you all keep reading! Spring break ends tomorrow, so I didn't get as far as I'd planned with this chapter, but I figured you'd all rather I just got this out now then wait another week or two. Anyway, again sorry. _

_Disclaimer: Don't own it. _

_Oh, I forgot someone asked this in a review and I figured I'd better address it. The phrase for which this story is named 'Nunc Aut Nunquam,' is a Latin phrase meaning 'Now or Never.' Just in case anyone was interested. _

"Here." Leon handed each of us a glass jar and a chunk of now stale bread. Since we had been out at sea nearly a month, food was growing short. Well, not short necessarily, but definitely old.

Lev and I headed back up onto the deck and sunk down onto a couple of upturned crates to eat. Things had finally begun to settle in for me. A pattern had begun to establish itself in my life for the first time since my arrival on the ship.

After the incident with the trader, I settled in and really began to work. Mending was done quickly, and I began to make good progress on the clothes I had been employed to make from the cloth found on the raid. I had also helped Leon for a while with cooking and washing the few precious pieces of dish-wear we possessed. After that I graduated to more advanced tasks like helping to mop and scrape the decks, to mend the occasional sail, and to braid new line.

Then one day, when I was busy washing clothes in a large bucket of salt water on deck, I happened to catch a glimpse of Conall as he sprang up the broad net ladder leading to the top of the mainmast. Stopping me work, I watched as he carefully hooked his limbs into the ladder and leaned out over one of the sails, repairing a length of worn line. Conall was tall and very strong, but you would never know it from how agilely he moved. More like he was walking on solid ground, rather then hanging from a rope ladder high above a tossing ship. It was amazing to watch, and dare I say it, it looked like a lot of fun.

I remembered Ragetti saying before that Conall was very passionate about his work, and that while he was generally very quiet, he never gave up the opportunity to speak with someone interested in it. Relying on this alone, I casually mentioned my interest when delivering a shirt I had made for him later that day.

Taking the bate well, we had talked for quite a long time about exactly what his position as an officer entailed and about the tasks of the others who worked in the rigging. He even offered to help me up to the crows nest one day to assist him with one of his watches. Eager to do so, I immediately set to work upon Father. He was incredibly reluctant at first, but after Conall gave it a try, insisting that he would fall from the mast himself before letting anything happen to me, he relented.

Several days later, I had been helping mop the upper deck when Conall came to me.

"Ready?" he asked, winking roguishly. I had grinned then and jumped up, handing the mop off to the nearest passing crew member. I must say he looked a bit surprised by this sudden, new found acquirance. "Your not fit to climb in those clothes," Conall pointed out as we headed onto the main deck. "Can ye borrow some breeches from another?"

"I have my own already." I had responded, jovially. Conall's green eyes had studied me then, his head slightly cocked to the side.

"Ye are a wild one Ana."

Conall was taking the first night shift that week, so the sun was low on the horizon and dusk was just beginning to settle upon us when I had returned above deck. I was clothed in a white long sleeved blouse and thick tan breeches, my long dark hair done in two braids and tied back.

"Come over 'ere!" The sea was calm that evening, so I had no trouble walking over to where he stood at the foot of the ladder. He began his lesson right away, placing one practiced hand upon the rope, and another around my waist. "Put ye'r left foot there," he instructed. "And the right- yes, there."

I gripped the thick twine tight enough that it cut into my hands, and I couldn't get over the uncomfortable feeling of the ropes moving under my feet. Every step up you took made the ladder sink with your weight, pitching you forward suddenly -a feeling I was having trouble getting used too. As we grew closer to the top I marveled yet again that Conall was able to do this with such a practiced ease, and with only one hand. I reached up again, face flushed from nerves, looked down to get my footing, and pulled myself up another rung. Almost there.

It was then that Conall warned me. "Be careful when ye get up there. Ye can nev'r tell when a sailor is gonna scare of the height." I glanced down, then snapped my head up.

"Thanks for warning me of that early on Conall," I muttered sarcasticly, the images of seemingly tiny crew-mates swimming in front of my eyes. Conall smiled.

"Sorry." The edge of the circular wooden platform, just large enough for two people to stand side by side on, met my left hand, and I cautiously inched my way up onto it. When I was up far enough, I grabbed onto the top pole of the mainmast which protruded through the center of the platform and stood. Conall made sure I was up safely, then clamored up after me.

"Isn't it beautiful?" he'd asked. I didn't even responded. An endless expanse of clear blue water stretched out before me, glistening softly in the waning daylight. Not a thing disturbed the stillness of the sea, and the quickly sinking sun streaked the sky with blues and pinks and oranges to create a stunning mural. Being at this high of an altitude, the air lost some of its stuffy quality and a soft breeze blew through my hair.

I glanced over at Conall, who was watching me with an amused expression. "Thank you so much!" I cried grinning, throwing my arms around his neck in a hug. My sudden movement surprised him, nearly sending both of us right off the platform, but years of working aloft had quickened his reaction time and he managed to grab hold of the mainmast just in time. While there was indeed a narrow wood rail around the platform, it wasn't nearly enough to stop one from falling. In my surprise, I had held onto him even tighter, and now that I was balanced, I pulled away, a faint blush rising in my cheeks.

"Sorry." Conall looked surprised, but not displeased.

"Would ye like to go down now Ana?" I glanced back at him, his green eyes questioning, and unbound black hair blowing in the wind.

"If you don't mind I would like to stay," I replied, looking back out at the great blue-black expanse of the sea. The sun was just about down now, and darkness was settling over us. Torches at the bow and stern were being lit to show the way, and sailors were starting to retire to the galley for a meal.

"I don't mind a' all." He replied. "An' don't worry about food. Leon always saves the best bits for those on watch." Conall smiled and slowly lowered himself till he was sitting upon the platform, legs dangling over the side.

"Come take a seat," he offered, holding up a hand to help me. I gladly took it, and settled down as well. We spent the rest of his watch like that, a comfortable silence upon us, broken only by the occasional comment on sailing terms and techniques from Conall. Even though I had been on this ship several months now, I was still greatly unfamiliar with terms and duties. It never really was a favorite conversation topic for either Ragetti nor Lev.

Nearly two hours later the ships bell rang, clear in the stillness of the night, and Conall and I began our slow decent down the rope ladder; his practiced and confident hands guiding me. Passing a sleepy looking Owen heading out to take our place on the way, I retired to my bed and slept the best I had yet, totally at peace.

* * *

If Father had thought that by letting me climb aloft once I would tire of it and stop pestering him, he was sorely mistaken. After that, whenever Conall, Lev or Ragetti had watch I would bug them repeatedly until they allowed me to go with them. Conall was my favorite to accompany though. He was just so at ease that I felt safe no matter what happened. He was very interesting to talk to as well, being as knowledgeable as he was. I began to learn my way around the ship quickly under his instruction. Ragetti was also very comfortable aloft, being as agile as he was, though I soon discovered that heights were a great fear of Lev's. On occasion, I would find myself coaxing _him_ up the rope ladder, as opposed to the other way around. I personally found this absurd, since he had been doing it constantly, for years.

"Not constantly," He'd hastily point out. Whenever it was possible, he claimed he'd take watch on the bow where you were at a reasonable height, and let another go into the crows nest, but according to him, the other crew members had come to the ridiculous conclusion that the watchmen on the bow and aloft should switch off every few nights, much to his displeasure. Quickly, I also came to value my helping on the watch as a time of peace, and the only time of day I could be free of the restricting dresses. Father still made me wear them otherwise.

Within the next few weeks, I mad it my main task to convince Father to give me a watch of my own, even if only for a short time. After much wheedling and pleading and after almost every shipmate on board had vouched for the fact that I had become perfectly capable of handling myself on the ropes, he'd finally caved.

At first he'd wanted to only give me daytime watches but I had refused, saying that I wished no special preferences because of my situation and wanted to take rounds as the other did. He had studied me critically then, as if seeing me truly for the first time, then smiled proudly at me and agreed. When I left his cabin after that discussion, Ragetti and Lev had been waiting outside the door. I'd looked at them blankly for a moment before a smile of affirmation broke over my face. Lev had given me a great hug then, as did Ragetti who spun me around happily.

"You're really becoming one of us," he'd whispered in my ear as he set me down. That comment, while meant well, inflicted mixed emotions in me. I was happy to be given freedom, and I loved being on the ship, but really, what would mother think? I was living and working closely with a crew of entirely male pirates. This was far from the fate she wanted for me. And while I was happy how I was, a stab of guilt ran through me. Was it wrong to be so happy disobeying my mothers wishes?

After a moment I pushed the feelings as deep down as I could and pulled away from Ragetti. With my eyes downcast and a mischievous smile upon my face, I gave him a one word response, in which I unknowingly buried my mother's high dreams for me and set out upon my own.

"Aye."

The word felt familiar and at home in my mouth even though I had never uttered it before.

* * *

After that small but sweet victory with father, life had begun to look up for me. I began to feel like a member of the crew -and less and less like an outsider- and enjoyed my work. All too soon, however, our months at sea were over and it was time to head back to Tortuga.

Carefully, I unscrewed the lid of the glass jar and tucked it into the pocket of my breeches. Since I had just finished watch, I had not yet changed back into my dress. The soup, consisting of a clear cold broth and sodden vegetables, looked absolutely horrid upon first glance, but my ravenous hunger was enough to look past it. Paired with the stale bread, it was almost, dare I say it, good.

Land had been spotted nearly four hours ago, and it wouldn't be long yet until we were in harbor. I was happy though. However much I enjoyed life at sea, I desperately wanted a warm meal and a bath.

I took a large bite of the bread and slurped at the soup, my hungry stomach easing as I ate. When I was around the crew, there seemed to be an unspoken agreement that all manners were off. They didn't have to act differently around me because I was the Captain's daughter, as long as I didn't have to worry about any of them reporting my less than lady-like behavior to father. It seemed to working out nicely so far. Finally breaking free of the once tight holds on my life felt wonderful.

Our food was taken mostly in silence, the sound of the working mens chanting filling the air, and by the time I had finished, docking preparations were being carried out.

Lev was needed, so I grabbed his food jar and mine, and headed below deck to the galley. After washing the dishes and setting them in a storage barrel, I headed back to my little room to change. Father would be dreadfully upset if I stayed in men's clothes any longer then necessary.

As I entered the rickety cabin, I grabbed one of the dresses that I had spread out on my bed, where it had been drying from being recently washed. It was clean now in theory, but the sea water still made the fabric stiff and itchy close to my skin. We had no was to change this, however, until we were back on land with fresh water to spare. Sighing, I slipped out of my comfortable clothes and into the dress. My windswept hair was beyond untangling, but I tried to brush it out anyway, and_ did _manage to get it into some semblance of a neat braid.

When I was finished, I pulled my boots back on, making sure my knife was still in place, (to be honest I wasn't totally confident in the safety of Tortuga quite yet) and tucked a few gold coins that father had given me into my pocket.

The gentle thud and sudden sway of the ship announced our presence at the docks. Shouting filled the air, and the loud creaking of the sails was audible as they were drawn in and the ropes tied off. Once my balance was regained, I sprang up on my bed, anxiously peering out the window.

The docks were busy, as they always were. In my immediate view, I could see two men unloading fish from a small wooden dingy in a slip next to us. Farther down, a small, dirtied child sat with his feet in the water, watching the men at their work.

Smiling, I whirled around, jumped off the bed -fell, sprang to my feet, and rushed for the stairs. Bursting topside, I rushed to the railing and watched as our boarding plank was lowered to the dock and people began to disembark. Ragetti, who had until then been conversing with Father, waved to get my attention and jerked his head towards the plank. Getting the hint, I followed him over and jumped to the dock. As soon as my feet touched ground, the earth began to spin.

Ragetti, now standing a few feet behind me, placed a steadying hand upon my arm and began to lead me out of the harbor and towards the town center.

"Captain gave me some messages to drop off in the inn. I figured that you'd rather come with me then be stranded on deck." I smiled.

"Definitely." Just because I wasn't confident in the safety of Tortuga, didn't mean I found it dull. If anything, I found it fasinating.

As I walked, I realized that if I had though that adapting to land after a few weeks at sea was hard the last time I was here, I wasn't sure how I was going to manage it this time. It felt as if the earth was pitching under my feet, trying desperately to heave me off. Into what, I didn't know. I was simply amazed at how quickly the rest of the crew took to it. They_ have_ been doing it for years though. And I noticed whenever one of them moved on land, they all carried the same smooth, rolling gait, which wasn't apparent when out at sea. Hmm... And I still managed to look as though I was severely intoxicated.

The town looked much as I had remembered it. Rowdy drunks and whorish looking women swarmed the streets to the point I had difficulty seeing where we were headed. Ragetti led the way however, mentioning quietly that he knew these streets like the back of his hand, an arm still resting on my shoulder to steady me. A few paces ahead, a slightly younger whorish looking girl leaned upon the back wall of a tavern, conversing with a very familiar looking person. My eyes meet Lev's as we passed and he shot me a sheepish look. I merely shook my head. I didn't want to know. Ragetti smiled knowingly.

After few moments of careful navigation, (nautical term I learned from Conall) the shabby inn came into view again. Men sat on the porch, tankards in hand and sneers upon faces. They looked very similar to the men I had seen here last time. Very similar indeed. One man in particular, studied us closely, and I felt myself unconsciously leaning behind Ragetti.

Once indoors, Ragetti handed off a stack of folded parchment to the woman behind the counter, all going to various different ships, and picked up a small stack for us. After briefly skimming through the names upon the sheets, he tucked them into his shirt pocket and we departed. Or- at least we tried too.

"You! Boy. You be one of Thomson's men ain't you." The man set down his tankard and stood from his position on the porch, blocking our means of exiting. Slowly, he cocked his head back, surveying the two of us from under long lashes. Ragetti stopped and gazed back at him in the same fastidious manner.

"Depends on whose asking," he replied at length, grabbing my arm and dragging me past them. Only a glance over my shoulder told me the man and his friend weren't giving up so easily. We made it maybe twenty or so paces from the inn when a gnarled hand clamped down upon my shoulder. The other man snatched at my braid.

"Unhand me!" I cried, trying to writhe free of their gasp. Ragetti halted and whirled around.

"Keep your hands off of her!" The man released my shoulder and took a step back, a sneer firmly on his face. Quickly, I straightened the shoulder of my dress which had been yanked down, a faint blush rising in my cheeks. The men on the porch whistled and catcalled. I had noticed they were watching us avidly. As if the confrontation were a performing act there for their enjoyment.

"No need to get so touchy lad. Only wanted to know if you be one of Thomson's men, and if you were, we wanted to know 'ow to go 'bout findin him."

"Look 'ere_ Sir_. I know naught what business you have with the Captain, but either way I'll be telling you nothing. And whatever business you have with_ me_,_ keep_ it with me. The lady stays out of it." A sly smile found its way onto the mans face.

"I don't know 'bout you mate," he muttered coyly, addressing his friend. "But I've never seen a man get so worked up over a simple harlot. Then again, he is a young one. Could 'ave taken 'im years to save for a piece as pretty as this." He ran a finger down my cheek. Acting quickly, I grabbed his wrist and bent that finger backwards as hard as I could. The man let out a very audible yelp and snatched back his hand. I flashed him a satisfied smile.

"Bastard." I muttered softly. Apparently he heard.

"Mulatto scum!" Thats all it took. I lunged at the man the second the term left his lips. Who was he to insult me? He was the one picking on a sixteen year old girl! Ragetti grabbed my upper arms quickly, holding me close enough to him that I couldn't pull away, though I continued to struggle fiercely. The man jumped, and cowered back just out of range of my kicking legs, his calculating gaze sweeping over me before moving onto Ragetti. Their gaze locked for a moment, before the man spat in the dirt at my feet.

"Next time keep your whore in line."

_A/N: Hope you all enjoyed it. And yes, I know this is where the last preview left off, but hey, its better then nothing at all. And hey, it lets you continue wondering how they're going to get out of it. Lol. Anyway, I don't have time to thank my reviewers individually, but I really appreciate it. Thanks so much. _

_Preview time!_

Only a few groups of people stood outside and we were just about free of the mess entirely when a hand closed firmly upon my mouth and another snaked its way around my waist.

_My lord, what is this? A new holiday? Everyone attack Ana day? _I wondered exasperatedly, as I tried desperately to wiggle free from my abductors grasp.

_Just a note. The next chapter is rather a filler chapter, and I'm not sure what I want to put in it. Therefore, if you want me to write faster, how about giving me some ideas? And yes, Jack will be in the next chapter, but be realistic, they can't get together in just the next chapter. But if you have something specific you want to see, regardless of what, drop it in a review, and I'll see what I can do. Thanks again!_


	6. Jack and Bill

_A/N: I'm so sorry this chapter took so long! I'm afraid I never realized just how hard it is to write a tolerable filler chapter. I worked really hard on this, and I can't help but feel it came out really poorly. Ah well, I have plans for the next chapter, so maybe it'll be better. _

_Anyway, part of the reason this took so long, is after school let out, I went back and rewrote the first five chapters. You see, I've been doing lots of research on pirates and a lot of this story was riddled with errors, also looking back on it, there were places that I'd wanted to fit in things that I hadn't, so I went back and edited. I don't see a reason why you'd need to go back and re-read it (though if you want to I certainly won't stop you) but if you noticed any little inconsistencies or new names popping up unexpectedly, thats probably the cause. Thanks, and now on with the chapter!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own it. _

"Next time keep your whore in line." I glared at the man, my struggles ceasing for a moment as I fumed silently. Ragetti's grip on my upper arms tightened noticeably, and he held me closer, more for his own restraint then mine I think.

"Move on please Sir. Can't 'ave ye upsetting the_ lady_ now can we." Lev made a point to drawl out the word 'lady' excessively for emphasis and I couldn't help but smile. I could always count on these guys. More so then_ any_ of my previous 'aristocratic' friends. And they all seemed to possess an impeccable sense of timing.

His voice had echoed from my left side, so I turned that way, curious to see what had made the man pale so suddenly. Both Lev and Conall stood there, pistols drawn and aimed at his head. The man looked less than pleased, and for a second seemed about to reach for his sword.

_Click_.

The sound of Lev's pistol cocking seemed loud in the tense silence and a slow smile slid across his face.

"I wouldn't do that if I were ye." The man, hate filling his gaze, slowly lifted his hands, palms out in resignation, and began backing away. Lev waited a few moments, until the man had long returned to his porch seat, before tucking his pistol back in his sash. Conall did the same. I could feel my breath slowly returning to normal.

"Thank you," I said, feeling relief wash over me. "What would I do without you ." Lev frowned.

"I don't know. Ye two really need ta be more careful. What if he 'ad a pistol on hand? Or if he 'ad a few more men with 'im? Then what would ye 'ave done?" The four of us began to walk back to the center of town, trying very carefully to walk in a straight line without assistance, at least on my part.

"Lev, I really don't need a lecture on responsibility. An' certainly not from_ you_ of all people. An' don't make it sound like I'm not capable of defending myself either. She wouldn't have been any better off with _you,_ you know." A frown crossed Ragetti's face as he finished.

Lev's expression lightened a little. "I'm jus' sayin..."

"Fine, next time I'll be sure to have me gun on me. An' maybe we ought to think of getting her a weapon of some sort." He jerked his head towards me. Immediately, my mind flashed back to the dagger concealed in my boot -why I hadn't thought of it before I don't know- but decided not to mention it due to the extreme look Lev was giving me over Conall's shoulder.

"I certainly would _not_ protest to that," I interjected quickly. A touch of a smile pulled at Ragetti's lips.

"I thought not. Well, I have to bring these letters back to the ship. Where are you two going?"

Conall interjected quickly, but timidly, as if afraid of setting the two off. "I'm on watch next, so I've got to be back soon, but this awful' heat was beginnin to get' to us. We were thinkin of goin an' fetchin a fresh ale to bring back to the ship. Want us to bring ye somethin?"

"If you're up to it, an ale _would_ be nice." Conall nodded.

"No probl'm mate."

"Wanna come with us Ana?" Lev asked. I turned and linked my arms around Ragetti's neck, standing on the tips of my toes to do so.

"Can I? Can I huh? Oh _please_!" I cried, doing the best impersonation of an eight year old I could. Ragetti shrugged and nodded. Lev snorted derisively.

"I thought she wasn't safe wit' me either? Why the sudden change of 'eart?" Ragetti frowned.

"Because I know Conall's going along," he replied simply, before turning and stalking away towards the docks. Lev glowered and strode off angrily in the other direction. Conall stood there for a moment, exasperated, before following Lev.

"What was all that about?" I muttered, running a few steps to catch up with him. The ground gave another dramatic toss and I grabbed onto his arm for support. He chuckled.

"Let's jus' say bein on a ship for long periods of time can cause tempers to fly af'er a bit. They do it all the time though. Like an old married couple at times. They'll be fine' in an 'our or two." I nodded. Lev slowed his pace a bit and fell into step beside me.

"So where did you say we were going again?" I asked.

"Little tavr'n on the corner here. Best ale for the cheapest price in all Tortuga."

"Figures you would know that Lev," Conall muttered under his breath.

"What was that?"

"I certainly didn't hear nothin. Don't know what yer talking 'bout."

I smiled weakly, using my free hand to gather my skirts up to my knees. The ground turned muddy with spilled drink as we grew closer to a tiny wooden structure that was positively swarming with people. The wooden sign nailed over the door and painted with the words 'Cervisia Drink House,' was the buildings only identification. As we pushed inside, Conall and I decided to hang towards the back and allowed Lev to carry on. He knew his way around fairly well.

It was too loud for speech inside unless one yelled, so I opted not too, but watched everything with fascination. People sat at every table, drink and food in front of them. There weren't nearly enough chairs available, so people stood along every wall drinking and talking. Only a few barmaids were working, and they were kept plenty busy with the number of people fighting to get service. The floor inside was also coated in spilled drink -and in broken pieces of glassware as well.

In fact, a moment later another mug crashed to the ground not two feet in front of me, the rum that had been in it splashing over my boots. The crash was accompanied by a great yell as two people launched themselves at each other, fists flying.

"Let's go!" I heard Conall yell over the noise. "Lev'll find us!" He grabbed my arm and began to lead the way, winding around various people and over to the door. Once out-of-doors, the noise immediately lessened, as did the crowd. Only a few groups of people stood outside and we were just about free of the mess entirely when a hand closed firmly upon my mouth and another snaked its way around my waist.

_My lord, what is this? A new holiday? Everyone attack Ana day? _I wondered exasperatedly, as I tried desperately to wiggle free from my abductors grasp. Conall, noticing my arm pulled from his grasp, turned around swiftly, but relaxed as his eyes fell upon a point over my shoulder.

_Why on earth isn't he doing anything?_ The arm about my waist drew me closer until I could feel a clearly male presence immediately behind me. Panicky thoughts began to race through my mind and I wondered distantly if biting the persons hand would improve the situation at all or if it would simply worsen it. Worsen it probably. Just as I was about to test my theory, a deep and strangely familiar voice rang out.

"'Ello love." An imperceptible shiver ran up my spine as his warm break struck my ear. Anger flared in me again as he turned me around towards him, his hand remaining unnecessarily upon my waist. In that second I had every intention of slapping him. Any thought of doing so however, fled from my mind as soon as I fully faced him.

Dark eyes were the first thing I noticed, confirming my suspicions that the voice did indeed belong to Sparrow's son. His black hair was pulled back into a single braid, and he had shed many layers of clothing since the last time I saw him; he now wore only breeches and a white shirt with rolled up sleeves. I opened my mouth and promptly closed it again. I was at a total loss of what to say.

"Ana, wasn't it?" He flashed me a charming smile.

"Anamaria," I replied. "Or Ms. Thomson if you'd rather." I did my best to make my tone hard and snappish, but I was only distantly aware of the words that were coming out of my mouth. His hand upon the small of my back was drawing all of my attention. That roguish smile crossed his face.

"My apologies Ms. Thomson. I'll have to watch my tongue from now on." I nodded stupidly, suddenly incapable of speech. I don't know what has gotten into me! I'm never like this around men! Lord knows I've been living with a bunch of them for months now.

"Jack! What be takin so long- oh." A jolly voice rang out, only to come to a dramatic halt a few steps away when the speaker bounded into view.

"Well, I'll be, Jack. I shoulda known. Ye can find yerself a lay anywhere, any time a day." Jack's eyes widened and he turned to look at the young man exasperatedly, dropping his hands from around me. I took a quick step away, both missing the warmth and comfort of his arms, and relishing in the swift return of my old quick tempered self.

"_This_," Jack replied shortly, "is Anamaria Thomson. The _Captain's_ daughter." An embarrassed look crossed the mans elegantly featured face.

"Oh." Jack shook his head and turned back to me.

"Excuse me Milady, but this_ charmer_ is my best friend Bill Turner." The man bowed low.

"Please except my apologies Miss. I didn't mean it. I was only trying to poke a little fun at old Jack here." The young man -Bill's- smile was infectious and soon I was laughing myself.

"Don't worry yourself about it," I said grinning. "I've heard far worse this afternoon." Bill smiled again, a smile that lit up his already handsome face. Coupled with his expressive, merry brown eyes he set off an air of grace and maturity, mingled strangely with one of childish innocence.

"I_ have_ heard about you though Miss. Jack's spoken of you before. I must say though, he never mentioned how absolutely stunning you are." Bill flashed a wide smile and kissed my hand, winking at me in that devilish manner only pirates seemed to have worked out. Jack, who was watching the scene carefully took this opportunity to hit him on the shoulder.

"Don't go laying on the charm too thick Bill, or ye might forget the wife and kids back home," he interjected quickly. Bill put a hand to his chest and sent him back a look of mock indignation.

"We're not married you bloody fool!" I raised an eyebrow. "And its_ kid,_ not_ kids._ Honestly Jack, you make me out to sound like some kind of disreputable cretin." He turned to me, brows raised and a hand lifted to shield a mock whisper. "I'd hate to hear what he says behind my back when I'm _not_ here to correct 'im."

"Actually Sir, I'm afraid he's never mentioned you before," I replied smiling. Bill put a hand to his mouth aghast.

"Jack! I'm hurt! To havenever mentioned _me_? Not even once!" He drew a shuddering breath and leaned his head on Jack's shoulder, sobbing dramatically. Jack shoved him off.

"Really mate, you shoulda stayed in England and been an actor with that skill." Bill lifted his head and pretended to wipe at his eyes.

"I'm not sure if I should be honored or take insult at that comment," he said frowning, before smiling and bowing exaggeratedly. "Ah well. Thanks!"

"Sparrow!" Lev's sharp voice broke up the merriment quickly, and Jack's head snapped towards the voice instantly, a scowl upon his face. "What are ye doing 'ere?" Jack answered slowly, a critical look upon his face. He appeared stronger then Lev, and had an advantage if it came to fists. Something he was well aware of and not about to let Lev forget.

"Jus' passin through. Thought I'd say hello to_ Ms._ Thomson here." He cast me a coy look out of the corner of his eye. "Now if you'll be so kind as to excuse us, we really must be goin now." Turning to face me, he deliberately took my hand and kissed it, tossed a final smirk at Lev, and disappeared into the crowd. Bill, who also cast a scorn at Lev, turned to flash me a quick smile before departing.

"I hope we meet again soon Lady. Perhaps a bit more_ privately_ even" He winked at me again, before Jack returned, grabbed Bill by the arm and escorted him off. While Conall had been standing back silently throughout the entire exchange, he now -being the perceptive one- moved quickly to take the three ale bottles from Lev's arms before they accidentally found their way (rather quickly) towards the heads of those departing.

I looked on, amused, as Lev's fists clenched and unclenched at his sides. What was I to do with them?

* * *

The store front was aged and the windows dusty. A single dress of worn green fabric hung in the window, lifeless on its misshapen hanger. A small bell rang dully as I shoved the door open on rusted hinges and peered inside. I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to do this.

Tortuga, while an interesting place to visit, is not the best place to shop. I didn't need anyone to tell me that. It was rather obvious. I had no other choice though, at this point. With all the sewing orders I had completed on the ship, and with the beautiful new cloth father had given me from his share of the loot, I was running low on supplies. My thread was gone, and many needles were broken. Finally, I had resorted to using the long thick needle used for mending the sails, but it really wasn't working. I'd come to the conclusion that I had no other choice. I needed to find a tailor.

After coming to this conclusion, I had mentioned it to father nonchalantly, who had in response given me a rather large quantity of coin to shop with. After that, all I needed to find was someone to go with me. I was still strictly forbidden to walk around the streets of Tortuga by myself; a rule I as -of-yet had no desire to defy.

The shop appeared uninhabited upon first glance, but the distant strain of voices from somewhere in the back of the building made me venture in father. A small lamp, rather low on oil, sat upon the counter; throwing merchandise into obscurity and creating a general feeling of bleakness. Slowly, I ventured a few steps farther into the shop and began to look around. They didn't seem to have much, but from the looks of things, I could find what I needed here.

_Crash._

"Lev!" I whirled around as the noise echoed swiftly through the building.

"What?" He asked sheepishly, righting the wooden hat rack that had fallen on him. I shot him an exasperated glance, eyebrows raised. He bent and began collecting the spilled hats that had been on display as I turned my attention back to the other wares. Just as I ventured over to the counter and began to run my fingers through a pile of haphazardly folded cloth, I noticed a young woman come rushing from the back rooms, apparently alerted of our presence by Lev's graceful entrance.

"Sorry 'bout that," she muttered, swiftly lacing up the bodice of her dress and securing it at the neckline. "Didn't hear you come in. I was in the back... eh- taking inventory." Inventory. Hah! "Can I help you?"

"Yes," I replied, leaning against the wooden counter. Lev was amusing himself a few feet away with a box of shiny buttons. "I need a card of needles please." She nodded and pulled a box off a shelf behind her, from which she produced a small slip of paper with five or so needles stuck in it. A drunken man staggered from the back of the store and made his way out the door, blowing a kiss to the young girl as he left. She blushed scarlet.

"Anything else for you today?" She asked hurriedly, turning away from the door and staring determinedly at the wall.

"I need four spools of white thread also." She nodded and began to dig through the box again.

"This is pretty," Lev said, dangling a length of ribbon in front of my eyes.

"Bored?" I asked, turning to face him.

"Not' in the sligh'est," he responded, sarcasm dripping from him tone.

"Lev! You agreed to come!"

"But I didn' know it was gonna be_ this_ dull."

"This is only the first shop."

"There's gonna be more!"

"Of course there's going to be more you idiot! I told you what I needed to get at the beginning, didn't I? Now if you behave nicely and help, I'll make it worth your while, I promise." When Lev continued to glower, I pulled the coins father gave me from the basket I had brought to store our purchases. "How does a nice big bottle of rum all to yourself sound?" A wide smile broke out over his face. Rum was expensive, and something he rarely got to enjoy.

"Where next luv? The market? The jeweler? The general store?" I laughed and shoved him gently.

"I need to find myself a decent pair of boots."

"And whats wrong with the ones ye be wearin?"

"They don't fit right. If I'm going to keep climbing in the rigging to cover my watches, I'd at least like to own a pair of boots that fit me properly."

"Fair enough," Lev shrugged as the woman handed me the thread and needles wrapped in paper and I gave her the proper coins before we headed back out onto the street.

"I think there be a cobbler a few stores down." Lev set off at a quick pace, thoughts of rum probably still predominant in his mind. I nodded and followed after slowly. All I could hope for was that perhaps this would be a slightly more reputable place then that of the tailors.

_A/N: Well, thats it. Thanks again to my reviewers! They really keep me going. As always, any kind of feedback is welcome._

_Preview time:_ "What are you doing?" I asked Conall, hitching up my skirts and wading several feet out into the waves so I was along side them. The little boat edged closer to the shore and I fell into step along side it. As the boat skidded onto the sand, Conall jumped out of the bow, landing with a splash in the water. Turning, he hauled the boat farther up onto the shore so that it would stay put.

"We're careening 'er," he said, jerking his head towards the ship, where it lay anchored in the bay. Once the little boat was secured on the shore, Jack bounded out as well, splashing a good amount of water onto his pants and creating a little swell of water that hit me dead on, soaking my skirts.

_Kind of boring, but its all I could think of. Will develop into more though. Just a note, because I haven't started the next chapter yet, what you see above, may not be exactly how it will appear. Now to thank my reviewers._

_Cal: hehe... I'm glad you enjoyed that chapter so much! I'm sorry for taking so long on this one. I'll try harder next time and I hope you haven't died of anticipation yet! As for Conall, I love him too. Don't know why, I think he just has that effect on people. And while this is definitely a Jack/Ana story at the heart, I have been contemplating throwing a little Conall/Ana in as well, just to mix things up a bit. I have a place where he could fit in, just haven't made up my mind yet. Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter and thanks for reviewing!_

_TheLadyLaelia: Ah don't feel guilty. We'll all have plenty of writing to do next year in english. Gahh. Won't be fun writing though... Thanks for the compliments on my details, I have been around boating for a while now, and have done lots of research, so that really helps. And I did take your advice to a degree! One character did appear in this chapter thats mentioned in the movie. _

_kungfuchick: Well, as you can see, Jack made a brief appearance in this chapter. He'll be back to stay in the next one though. _

_Brizy: Looking back on it, I'm afraid my preview does make it seem that way. Ah well, I hope this chapter did at least reassure you. Thanks for the review!_

_Court: Well, I'm glad you found your way back too! I was wondering where you had gone. Thanks for the review! _

_Isabell M.: Twice? Wow, I'm honored that someone would actually want to read this story twice! I'm really glad your enjoying it so much. Hopefully this chapter lived up to those standards!_

_LiLi-lUlAbYe13: Well, as for whether or not Ragetti likes Ana, we'll have to see, cause I'm not exactly sure yet... Any preferences? Lol. Thanks so much for the complements though! I'm afraid you all are going to give me a swelled head. Thanks so much for the review._


	7. A New Cruise

_A/N: Urg. I'm _soooo_ sorry about all the delays. I'm afraid this time you must blame two hurricanes, several illnesses and a whole lot of school work. Initially this chapter was supposed to be twice as long, but I was having trouble with the part that transitioned the two pieces. I'm leaving for vacation tomorrow, so I don't have time to work on it now, but I figured you'd rather have a short chapter then nothing. Never fear though. Because of this delay, most of the next chapter is written and won't take long. Should be up before school gets back in. Thanks again for your patience. _

_Any feedback is welcome and greatly appreciated._

_Disclaimer: I don't own it. _

The day was hot. Unbearably so. And it helped not that there was barely a breath of air across the entire ocean.

It was around high noon, and the sun was beating directly down upon us as we stood on the deck, slowly steering the ship into a shallow bay on the far side of Tortuga. The town itself is actually quite small when looked at geographically, and was build on only about half of the island upon which it resides. As you get farther away from the bustling town square, the shops and taverns give way to small, ramshackle homes hidden within the trees. Then, civilization abruptly gives way to the Caribbean jungle, still naturally thick and overgrown. On this, the far side of the island, is a beautiful little bay that father said we were to visit immediately after we left town. Here, is the place where necessary maintenance will be finished off, and the fresh water supplies will be restocked.

Frowning, I lifted my loosening braids off of my already sticky neck. This was horrid. And it didn't help that Lev wouldn't stop complaining. Soon enough though, we'd be off the ship and out exploring this side of the island. Fun. More heat and insects and horrid trees that attack you if you so much as go near them. All right, that might be a bit of an exaggeration... But not a great one.

The water did look awfully inviting though. It was such a beautiful, pristine blue today, and the soft sounds of the waves lapping against the hull were incredibly tranquil. At least what you could hear of it over the chatter of the men that is. The crew members always loved a visit to Tortuga for a bit of drink and fun, but most of them were really sailors at heart, and seemed most alive when setting out for another cruise, fully rested and ready. We still had a bit of drudge work ahead of us though.

Tomas, the bo'sun, yelled an order and the anchors were released, lowering slowly to settle on the ocean floor. Then, several small paddled boats were prepared to be loaded up and sent ashore. Empty water barrels were the first things to go, and of those we had an abundance. Also, men were chosen to find the spring at which the barrels were to be filled, and to fill them. Then Amman chose men from his gunnery team to form a hunting party, and equipped them with the necessary spears and knives and guns. When fresh plants and game were readily available, as they were now, there just wasn't any point in depleting our precious food stocks.

When all was said and done, and the first three boats were ready for departure, father offered for me to go ashore with them. I hesitated only a moment, the readily agreed. The heat was starting to get to me, and my head was spinning. The water looked all too appealing.

By the time our boat made it to the shore, the other two had already beached on land and were beginning to unload. The hunting party took off swiftly, several of them heading along the shoreline, looking for fish and the like, while the others plunged off into the Caribbean wilderness in search of small game. Three men took the boats back to the ship to reload and pick up more men, while the rest of them each scooped up a barrel or two and headed off in search of water. I turned my attention to the beach.

In all my years of living in a port town, its amazing to think how little I saw of the ocean and the beach. Every now and then I would escape away from mother for a few minutes to look at the waves or to put my feet in the sand, but even then, there were always other buildings and people close around. Here however, it was completely different. Color was the most predominant thing. Pure white sand stretched on in all directions, to be met by the green of the forest on one side and the blue of the water on the other. Distantly, I could make out the colorful outfits of the men in the hunting party as they disappeared around the other side of the island.

I bent and scooped up a handful of sand, letting it fall back to the earth through my fingers. Slowly, I stood and began to pace the smooth shoreline, my boots sinking pleasantly in sand.

A good amount of time passed before the boats began to return to shore. When the first was close enough to see, I realized it was full of crates and boxes. When I looked out to the next little boat, I saw that it was full of Amman's gunning equipment, and several boxes of Leon's pots and pans.

Confused, I turned my attention back to the first boat, laughing to myself when I noticed Conall, Alec, Jack and Daren all comically stuffed in with the cargo they were transporting.

Figures that Jack would arrive on the day work was to be done. He had in fact joined our crew this very morning, minutes before our departure. Ian Sparrow had stopped by for a quick and less-then-remorseful farewell, taking his leave promptly. But Bill however, had made a point of stand on the docks until the ship was out of sight around the bend of the island. As silly and flirtatious as he was, he was a loyal one.

I waited patiently a few more minutes until the boat was close to the shore, then walked down to meet them.

"What are you doing?" I asked Conall, hitching up my skirts and wading out into the waves so I was along side them. The little boat edged closer to land and I fell into step along side it. As the boat skidded onto the sand, Conall jumped out of the bow, landing with a splash in the water. Turning, he hauled the boat farther up onto the shore so that it would stay put. The cold water began to soak into my thick wool stockings and shoes, providing welcome relief from the heat.

"We're careening 'er," Conall replied, jerking his head towards the ship, where it lay anchored in the bay. Once the little boat was secured on the shore, Jack bounded out as well, splashing his pants thoroughly and creating a swell of water that hit me dead on, soaking my skirts. I put an offended look on my face and splashed him back, hitting his open mouth just in time. He spluttered for a few moments, then made like he was going to playfully tackle me into the knee deep water before Conall cleared his throat and split us up.

I turned to him laughing. "I'm sorry Conall." I quickly straightened my face and shot him a sheepish look. "What's careening? And whats with all the stuff?" Alec clamored out of the little vessel as well, and Daren began to hand things out to the others, who in turn began a small pile a good ways up the beach, far from where the tides could reach.

"We 'ave to lighten the load in order to careen 'er," he replied. Anythin that could shift 'round a lot or really weigh 'er down in the water needs to be taken out." I nodded.

"Now what?"

"Now, we wait for the tide to go out."

"Why?" I asked, wringing out my skirt as I ventured onto the shore.

"'Cause once the tide goes out the ship'll be beached and mos' of the hull 'll be out of the water. It'll also be shallow enough' for us all to wade 'round it and do our repairs."

"Well then what're we supposed to do while we wait?" Jack asked, depositing the last box on the shore, a sly smile on his face. Conall shrugged.

"Whatever we'd like." The second of the boats skidded onto the shore and began its unloading process. Alec jumped back into the first and began to paddle it back to the ship. Jack dusted off his hands and walked to where Conall and I were standing.

"Let's 'ead down to the creek then. I need to cool off a bit." Conall looked uneasy at this suggestion.

"We really should be 'elping," he responded. Jack turned his dark eyes to survey the people around him. All those from the second boat had finished unloading and were reorganizing to cut and fetch firewood. The third boat was just beaching now, about to unload.

"Everyone's busy. We'll never even be missed. Come on." He jerked his head in the direction of the woods.

"What bout the men fetchin water. We'll be sure to see them. Either on the path or at the creek itself." Jack shrugged.

"So we'll stay off the path. And I'm sure they onl'y went to the first part of the stream. That's too shallow to swim in anyway."

Conall again looked reluctant. His ridiculously strong work ethic was kicking in. He was also dressed fairly lightly, and was probably quite cool. I on the other hand, was dieing.

"Can you really find your way there, Jack?" I asked eagerly.

"Of course I can. Bill and me 're always roaming this island."

"I'm going then. Conall, it's up to you whether you want to come or not." He paused.

"Captain 'll be upset if ye go," he pointed out calmly.

"Captain will be even more upset of you let me go off with Jack alone," I pointed out, raising my eyebrows. I hoped to corner him on this one. I had no intention of going by myself. Just the idea of being alone with Jack made me uneasy on more then one level. Thankfully I didn't have to worry.

Conall sighed. "Let's go."

The jungle was something I had yet to experience in my months at sea, and let me tell you its not something I want to repeat anytime soon. The trail was cleared well enough, but just off it you're thrown into a twisted mess of limbs and leaves. Not particularly enjoyable.

Jack was leading the way, winding confidently around giant palms and through sprawling brush. Massive spider webs, with even more massive spiders in them, hung all over the place, which I was desperately trying to avoid. Mosquitoes were heavily present also, and some sort of monkey chattered loudly in the distance. The farther along we went, the denser it all seemed to become, and the _hotter_ it became. Any trace of a sea breeze was long gone here.

Finally after what seemed ages, but was probably only a quarter of an hour of so, we broke out of the seemingly endless wall of trees and into a clearing of sorts. I had been able to hear the sound of running water for some time now, but there had been no trace of it. Here however, the stream was obvious, curving away towards the beach through the trees. The men that had been fetching water could be heard aways down the path, heading back to the shore.

"This way," Jack muttered, heading in the opposite direction. Conall ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to free it of all the leaves picked up on our little trek. I didn't even bother myself. We walked along the cleared path for another few minutes, following along the stream.

As we progressed, it slowly widened, until at last we emerged in a large clearing shaded by the leaves of what looked like banana trees. The stream had widened into a pool, the source of the water flowing from the cracks of a rock wall on the far side and out into the little stream we had followed. Here the pool was large though, and it looked deep. The trees were just enough to give the place shade, but not enough to be difficult to navigate around. The air was still stuffy, but the mist from the little waterfall cooled it considerably. All in all it was beautiful.

Jack paused only a minute to admire the scenery before he strode over to a large, flat rock just on the shore and began to pull off his boots.

I glanced over my shoulder at Conall, who looked as if he was about to die from heat exhaustion, before going over to the rock as well.

"This is beautiful Jack." I declared, carefully unlacing my new boots.

"Ye might say that," he muttered, pausing to pull off his second shoe. He set his pistol by his boots then stood and began unbuttoning his shirt. "But I must say Ms. Thomson-- it rather pales 'n comparison to the beauty it's suddenly foun' itself in the presence of." He glanced up from the button for a moment to flash me that horribly attractive half grin of his. I could detect an undeniable playfulness in his dark eyes.

"Mr. Sparrow, sometimes I think you're far too charming for your own good." Conall rolled his eyes and began to wade into the cool water.

"Oh really," Jack shot me a look that made my knees melt. Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he pulled off his shirt and sash and clamored up onto the rock. Instantly I felt a steady blush rising in my cheeks and looked away as he skillfully dove into the water.

Now, not only was I alone with a pirate, but I was alone with _two_ pirates, one of which seemed to have mysteriously lost half his clothing. I shook my head furiously and banished the thoughts.

Frowning, I tugged off my stockings, stood up on the rock, and stepped off it, falling into the water with a splash. Instantly, the water bit into me, cooling my sticky skin. The sandy bottom was soft on my bare feet, and the mosquitoes seemed to dance just out of range, giving us relief if only momentarily.

"Mmm. The waters lovely. Even you can't deny that," I said, nodding towards Conall.

He smiled. "I wasn't 'bout to Ana," he replied, starting to swim a few laps. I glanced over to Jack, where he stood under the little waterfall, letting the stream of water fall on his head.

"Come 'ere Ana." Frowning I surveyed the deep water between us.

"I can't swim," I muttered meekly.

"You can't swim?" He replied incredulously. "And how long have you lived near water?" I shot him an indignant look.

"It's not appropriate for women to learn how to swim." Jack snorted.

"Well, do ye want to learn then?" I shot him an excited glance.

"Could you really teach me?" He nodded.

"If you plan to keep livin on a ship, I should certainly hope you'd learn. If you have any sense anyway." Languidly, he turned and swam over to me.

"Lev can't swim ye know," Conall interjected, seating himself on the shore and wringing out his long hair.

"Notice I said distinctly 'if ye have any sense.'" Jack said, coming to a halt next to me. His tone turned sharp. Conall smiled weakly.

"My point is, a lot of sailors can't swim."

"And _my_ point is a lot of sailors die."

"Never denied tha'."

"Can some sailors really not swim?" I asked inquisitively. Jack nodded.

"Only the dimwitted ones. The British Royal Navy is a right perfect example there. On'y one in ten can swim. On a good day."

"That seems rather ironic."

"Mmm. Now if you want to learn to swim, your goin to have to lose the gown."

"Beg pardon?" I cried, bringing my hands instinctively up to the neck line of my dress. I could almost feel Conall's protective eyes on my back.

"It's too heavy." He replied matter-of-factly. "The under dress alone should be fine." After studying his eyes for a few moments and seeing that he genuinely was serious, I nodded slowly, and began to undo the intricate knotting that ran down the back of it.

"Alrigh' then. First..."

_A/N: More coming soon! Thanks for your patience. _

Preview:

I sat in the sand with Ragetti and Lev, reclining against Ragetti's back. Good food and music were relaxing me, and I must admit my eyelids were drooping a bit when Jack suddenly appeared in the sand next to me.

"I doubt the fair lady would honor a mere pirate with a dance now would she?" His deep voice resonated pleasantly inches from my ear, his strong accent slightly slurred from a bit too much wine.

His question took me entirely by surprise, but the ale in me answered before I could even think about it.

"I should think said pirate would at least ask the lady before drawing his own conclusions."


	8. Careening

_A/N: Ok, so its not quite before school got in, but it's at least faster then most of my posts. Would have been up sooner, had the site not been down for a few days. Before I continue, I would like to thank all my reviewers and ask that you keep giving me feedback. _

_Special thanks to 'pineapples are better pink,' as she's known here, for editing this for me. And I'd like to dedicate this chapter to my friend C Po for her patience in waiting for this chapter. _

_Disclaimer: Nothings changed... I still don't own it._

The sun beat down warm upon my neck as I sat perched upon the rock trying to wring out my hair and skirts. Jack was by my side reclining comfortably, as was Conall. Swimming lessons, while taking up most of the morning, had gone fairly well. While I still wasn't very good at it, I was at least assured that I probably wouldn't die if left in deep water for more then a few seconds.

My dress lay spread out on the rock next to me, nearly dry now in the hot sun. A quiet peace had settled over us, all just content to be in each others company. For the first time since I had met him, I was feeling rather comfortable around Jack. I wasn't frightened of him, and I wasn't swooning over him. I must say, I'm making progress.

"Conall! Ana!" I was snapped out of my thoughts with a start, as a great crashing sound echoed from the brush. Lev emerged, twigs caught in his dark hair and slightly out of breath.

"Capt'n's searchin for ye-" He stopped short when he caught sight of Jack and I and our half dressed states. I could see the color rise in his cheeks, and he stopped short. After gapping like a fish for a few moments, he turned to Conall.

"Capt'n's lookin for ye. The careenin's already started and he wants the sails mended. Ye crews waitin for ye on the beach." Conall cursed softly, tugged on his boots, and sprinted off the path, trying to buckle his belt and sword sheath back on as he went. I fought to suppress a laugh, though the small sound that emitted called Lev's attention back to us.

"And ye" he nodded sharply to Jack. "The Boson be roundin up the rest of the sailors to start the work. Ye'd best be movin on, fast." Jack surveyed him.

"I'll move on when _I'm_ ready." An angry look crossed Lev's face, but it quickly fled as he strode forward and snatched up my dress, throwing it in my lap.

"Really Ana," he muttered, looking away. I smiled and carefully stood on the rock, slipping into my dress.

"Come on," I hissed to Jack, not wanting another fray to start. He still hadn't moved. I sat down again and pulled on my stockings and boots, as Jack stood and began to pull on his shirt leisurely. Jack finished first, and after making a show of tucking his pistol back into his sash, he started back to the beach. I dusted off my skirts and followed.

The shouts of the men at work grew louder the closer to the shore we got. As we walked, Lev linked his arm through mine, forcing me to slow my pace and allow Jack to pull ahead.

"What are ye doin with him Ana? Ye need to watch yeself closer then ye are," he hissed in my ear.

"Lev I'm fine. I know what I'm doing. Why the sudden interest in my business?" Lev frowned.

"Its not sudden... I'm jus' worried for ye. And I'll warn ye now, if yer not more careful, the Captain will be hearin about yer little escapades."

"Lev you wouldn't! You know nothing is going on between us!"

"Ana, ye are like a sister to me. If anythin should happen to ye I would never forgive meself." He shot me a meaningful look as we broke out of the trees and onto the beach, now swarming with sailors. Lev and Jack were swept off with the supervisors, and joined the men who now careened the ship.

I stood on the shore for a few minutes watching them, as they waded around in the now knee deep water around the hull. The _Validus_ was tied to several trees on the shore, so that most of its massive underside was out of the water. The crew was busy scraping the hull clean, and replacing the worn and rotten boards. The passages that had already been repaired were then covered with a thick tar like paint, and allowed to dry. The whole process was something that needed to be done every few months to keep algae and such things from eating through the hull. A tiresome, but necessary task.

Turning, I spotted Conall sitting with his men in the sand. Several massive sails were spread out over their laps, and all were busily at work mending and patching them. A few others worked braiding and repairing line for the rigging. Both of these were tasks I had become quite adept at in these past few weeks, so I wandered over to them and took up several lengths of line for myself.

* * *

The sun waned on the horizon, sending sparks of brilliant color across the sky. Dusk had settled over the shore, the waves had calmed to a gentle lapping, and the breeze was cool. The _Validus_, which was still anchored in the bay, looked impressive, a black silhouette against the colorful night sky. A massive fire had been set up on the shore, which was the only light besides the tiny pinpoints of the watchmen's lanterns still on board the ship. 

Shadows from the flames slid across our faces as we prepared for supper, our labors now done. When wood had been cut for the fire, several stumps had also been brought down to the beach for use as chairs, along with the buckets and crates we had taken off the ship. A couple of fallen trees had been dragged down as well, and were being used together as a table of sorts, for the platters of food now being set out by Leon. Several pots of steaming fish stew were also sitting in the embers just outside the fire. Massive plates of all kinds of sliced fruits were present, along with plates of meat, some from wild livestock. Other platters were heaped with the green tinged meat of the sea turtles so abundant on the island.

When everything was set up, the crew was summoned together and everyone began to eat. To save chores, the only dishes used were bowls for stew. Otherwise we ate from the serving plates. Soon, bottles of wine and ale were also passed around. Against my better judgment I think, I kept drinking from Lev's ale bottle when he wasn't paying attention. The taste was bitter, but a pleasant warming sensation accompanied it, and I found after a few minutes, any unpleasantness in it was gone. I was starting to see how the men were able to drink it all the time. It kind of grew on you. After a dozen sips however, I was also able to see how intoxicating it was. I think because I had never really had any before, it affected me rather strongly, and a lightheaded, merry feeling settled over me rather quickly.

When everyone was finished, we settled down in small groups around the fire and a fiddle and an accordion were produced from no where. I'd had no idea anyone even played. Apparently they did however, for in a few minutes, a rollicking tune echoed in the still night. Several of the crew members began to dance before the fire, and a few others joined in singing the words to the songs a bit too loudly. Other sailors settled back in shadows and told their yarns to whoever would listen. Leon was washing the dishes in a barrel of sea water, and father and Evans were conversing with the pilot over a map stretched upon a crate. Probably discussing the ships plans for tomorrow.

I sat in the sand with Ragetti and Lev, reclining against Ragetti's back. Good food and music were relaxing me, and I must admit my eyelids were drooping a bit when Jack suddenly appeared in the sand next to me.

"I doubt the fair lady would honor a mere pirate with a dance now would she?" His deep voice resonated pleasantly inches from my ear, his strong accent slightly slurred from a bit too much wine.

His question took me entirely by surprise, but the ale in me answered before I could even think about it.

"I should think said pirate would at least ask the lady before drawing his own conclusions." Jack grinned.

"Right ye are." He jumped to his feet and dusted off his pants, before offering me his hand. "Ms. Thomson, would ye take me hand in a dance." I smiled shyly and stood, placing my hand in his.

Together we walked out to on open space in the sand before the fire. The song being played was a fast sort of jig, and while neither of us quite knew how to do one, it didn't matter in the slightest. No one else knew how to either. The song lasted for quite a while, everyone circling around each other and doing an improvised sort of dance. The ale in me caused me stumble a bit more then I would have liked, but all in all it was great fun and and made for an absolutely wonderful evening.

By the time the song ended, I was flushed and breathless and laughing. The ale and exhaustion were mixing to jumble my thoughts entirely. When the musicians started up again, the song was different. More of a waltz then a dance. When Jack bowed low and held his hand out to me, I accepted it before it even registered. My state wasn't improved when Jacks other hand wound itself around my waist and every last trace of coherent thought fled. He pulled me closer to him, until I could smell the salt in his clothes, and a shy smile crept across my face. Thankfully no one was paying us any mind, except perhaps my friends. I knew I would never hear the end of it from them.

Slowly, we began to move together, perfectly in sync. Considering he was a pirate, he seemed to know more or less what he was doing. Strange. I thought back to my own waltzing lessons. Well mother, I must say your training has come in handy for something. Though I seriously doubt waltzing with Jack Sparrow- the only son of a pirate captain and a pirate himself- on the beaches of Tortuga in the firelight, was quite what she had been preparing me for. Something told me however, that even the lavish balls she had dreamed of me attending would fall a bit short of the beauty of our surroundings on this night.

The mournful tune climbed, echoing loudly into the night as Jack released my waist and spun me away from him, my skirts spinning in the firelight. We came back together a moment later, and I lay my face against his chest, the stiff linen of his shirt rough on my cheek.His hand still rested on my back, its warmth spreading through me, holding me close. I felt secure. Completely at ease for the first time in his presence. The feeling surprised me.

Before I could become too used to the feeling, the song morphed into another jig and the abrupt change in tone snapped me back to my senses. I also became suddenly aware of how close I was to him. Quickly, I took a step back, watching him with what must have resembled panic. His dark eyes gleamed in the firelight as he returned my gaze steadily. We stood like that for several seconds until slowly, he reached for my hand, lifted it to his lips and kissed it.

"Thank you Milady, that was lovely." I didn't respond. Merely continued to face him with a look that probably resembled that of a hunted animal recently cornered. Without a word, I stumbled back a few steps, then turned and walked away.

* * *

I sprang down the rope ladder swiftly, jumping the last few feet and landing in an exaggerated bow. Ragetti stood at the bottom waiting for me, a small smile upon his face. 

"You are just in a perpetually good mood sometimes, aren't you Ana?" I smiled brightly.

"Aye. I can't help it when its such a lovely day!" The sun was hot upon the deck, but the sea breeze was strong and had kept me cool throughout my shift in the crows nest. Nothing could damper my spirits right now.

"Well, I have a bit of news for ye. I've just come from speaking with your father, and he's decided its about time for you to learn a bit of sword work." I beamed and threw my arms around his neck.

"Really? Oh whatever made him decide that?"

"Well, I've relayed what happened in Tortuga with Kowal's men, and he decided that we have no option but to give you a means of defending yourself. We may not always be there with you when scrapes like that happen. He's sent word to Amman of his wishes, and Garrett will start instructing you in his spare time." My face fell.

"Garrett?"

"Yes, Garrett. You two are going to temporarily set aside your troubles and you are going to learn something from him."

"But he's so ridiculously pretentious! Why can't you or one of the others teach me?"

"Because we all have work to do. And besides, Garrett- being Amman's apprentice is quite skilled with a sword. Now I expect to hear no more complaints on the issue." I frowned.

"Fine."

* * *

The mending I was working on- one of my shirts that had been pulled, lay untouched across my lap as I leaned my head back against the wall. Jack and I were currently lounging on his bunk in the highly cramped crew's cabin. He had been assigned the top bunk of the set of beds right across from Ragetti's. While easy enough to speak of however, it could only be accessed by standing in the narrow space between the two and carefully balancing ones weight on the support posts, then making a desperate jump up to the top. I very nearly got a nasty splinter in my hand when I first tried it. 

Dear me, I should rephrase that. It makes it sound as if I made a common practice of climbing up to Jack's bunk. On the contrary, only two days had passed since Jack's joining our crew, _and_ that fateful dance on the beach. Neither of us had mentioned the occasion, and we seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement never to mention it again.

Today, after my conversation with Ragetti, Jack had come topside and asked if I would keep him company while he unpacked. Ragetti, who had still been lingering around, accompanied us since he was off shift. According to him anyway. I knew the true reason was that he _never_ let me go into the men's cabin without his supervision. He even seemed wary of allowing me to go under the supervision of Lev or Conall, let alone with just Jack. While he did not harbor as deep a dislike for him as Lev seemed to, he didn't entirely trust him either.

Therefore Ragetti now sat on his bunk, knife in hand, whittling away at a small scrape of wood, as he always seemed to do in his spare time. He was very skilled at it really, as he had proven with the beaded necklace I wore.

Jack sat cross legged next to me, the one standard issue wooden crate that every man got for his possessions open in front of him. His own leather sack was by his side, and he was slowly working on transferring his things. I sat next to him, also cross legged, mending still lying in my lap, a comfortable silence hanging between us.

So far he had folded several sets of spare clothing, including one fairly nice set, several head scarves, and the blue jacket I had seen him wearing the night he and his father had visited, and had set them all in the bottom of the box. There were also several oddities, things that had probably been acquired from his father, or from his nineteen years of traveling with him.

Intent upon investigation, I pulled a small cloth pouch from his bag and emptied it in my palm. Out spilled a rare looking collection of old coins and clay beads, all artfully painted and decorated.

"Hey!" Jack glanced over in surprise. "Put those back you little wench," he said playfully, dropping what he was doing and making a lunge at them. I closed my hand over them and held it back out of his reach.

"Careful! You'll make me drop them!" I exclaimed laughing. Ragetti looked up from his work momentarily as Jack leaned dangerously close to grab the bag. I thought I saw him role his eyes before turning back to the wood. Jack, the little bag now back in his possession, held it open in front of him.

"Come on. Put them back." I smiled and tipped my hand in.

"What are they?"

"Just little trinkets. Very expensive little trinkets though. Straight from Africa. Hand made, the lot of them." I peered inside the bag again, my interest piqued.

"What are you going to do with them?" Jack shrugged.

"I don't know. Haven't any use for 'em really." He dropped the bag into his crate before pulling back his dark hair and binding it with a leather cord.

"You should put them in your hair," I said, reaching out and tugging on a strand. He cast me a sideways look.

"And how do you propose I should do that?"

"You can braid them in, they'll stay." Jack looked at me appraisingly before turning back to his work. "I'll have to try that someday." Jack reached into the bottom of his bag and pulled out a beautiful inlaid box, which he held preciously before him.

"Whats that?" Jack opened it and let me look inside. Several small containers, all filled with what looked like tar or soot or something of the kind sat inside, along with a wooden stick and a broken piece of a looking glass.

"What is it?" I repeated, pulling one of the jars from its resting place.

"Kohl." Carefully I removed the lid, and examined it closer. "Its a form of eye makeup," he continued. "The Egyptians wear it since it protects the eyes from the sun. Very handy, on the water especially."

"Is that what your always wearing?"

"Yup. I swiped this box _in_ Egypt myself."

"Did you really?"

"Of course." I looked Jack in the eye, trying to determine if he was telling the truth or not. I figured with him, either option was just as likely. Jack closed the box and placed it carefully on top of his other things. He then closed the lid on the crate and hopped down off the bed, shoving everything in its place under the bottom bunk. Somewhere in the distance the ship's bell rang, signaling the change of shifts.

"Well, I must be off then," Jack said upon hearing it, giving me a half a salute and a playful smile as he departed.

_A/N: Well, thats it for now folks. I'd like to apologize again for the lack of obvious scene breaks, but its out of my control. If anyone finds a way to leave them in, please fill me in. Its frustrating the hell out of me._

_edit ok, I think I figured out how to put in a scene break. If I use this funny looking bar thing while its in the quickedit program, I think it will carry over to the posting. I know it looks kinda tacky to use them so frequently, but I have no other choice here if you guys wanna know when scene breaks are. Let me know if it works, and if it does, I'll go back and do it for the rest of the chapters _

_Preview Time: (I'd like to make a note that I'm not sure this scene will show up in the _next_ chapter, though I expect it to, but it will definitely end up somewhere.)_

"How're the lessons goin?" Amman's heavy footsteps approached from around the corner. Garrett released his grip quickly and took a step back quickly.

"Wonderfully," he replied. "She keeps letting me back her into things though, a common beginners mistake." Amman, having missed the majority of the exchange, took his words with a nod.

"Don't work 'er too hard on 'er first day," Amman said smiling, the expression looking out of place on his burly physic.

"I won't," Garrett replied as Amman rounded the corner. He turned his head back to me, his eyes flashing dangerously.

_While I'm at it, I would also like to make a request. I know exactly where this story is going, and have all of the prominent occurrences and character revealing bits already mapped out in my mind. The problem with this story however, is that its a chronicling of characters over time. Therefore I need to keep things moving gradually between major events so its not like boom Ana and Jack fall in love, oh wait, now Wills in the picture oh wait now he's cursed etc...(I use examples in the story so as not to give away any of my brilliant ideas. Just kidding, there not brilliant) Therefore, if anyone has _anything _they would like to see happen in this fic, be it scenes, characters, whatever- as a bit of filler material, PLEASE let me know. I'll be glad to see if I can work it in. _

_kungfuchick : Thanks! Vacation was loads of fun. I didn't want to come back. And yes, sailors and pirates not being able to swim was apparently very common (something I've discovered in my research) so I imagine Ana would never get the opportunity to learn before now. Thanks for your review!_

_HazelEyed Freak: hehe... Well, I hope this update was quick enough for you. I'm not quite sure how I would like a lifetime of misery and woe. Lol. Or the dire consequences mentioned in your last review. Thanks for your feedback! _

_Indy Croft: blushes Thanks for your review. I'm glad you enjoy it. _

_Dracos-wife: Thanks for your review! I hope this update was quick enough for you._

_Cal: hehe... I'm glad you liked that chapter. Lots of JackAna to be sure. And more in this chapter! Yay. Thanks for your review, I always look forward to hearing from you. _

_Nebulia: Thanks for your review!_

_Chocolatebrowneyes: hehe... I'm glad someone else likes Lev. Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only one amused by him. He's one of my favorites though. Next to Jack of course. Thanks for your review!_


	9. Sword Practice

_This chapter had been long in coming I'm afraid, and is terribly short considering the length of the wait. I've been rather busy though, what with finishing out my junior year, and then taking part in a local production of Kiss Me, Kate, during which we might as well have moved into the theater for all the time we spent there. _

_My time was not spent idly however, for in that time I have planned out through chapter 15. Yay! So updates should be coming faster now that I just have to write it. This is the first time I've actually planned ahead. I'm excited. I mean, I always know exactly whats coming, but I usually don't assign the specific events to chapters until the last minute. _

_Thanks so much for all the wonderful feedback! Well, here you are..._

_Disclaimer: I _still_ don't own it_

_

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I leaned against the deck railing, chest heaving. Today was a miserable day. I took a deep breath.

"Have you had enough for one day _Ms._ Thomson?" I took another deep breath, gathering my thoughts and fighting down the urge to lash out at him. I knew deep down even if I did, I could never hurt him. I hated to admit it, but the boy was good.

"I'm fine Garrett." I spat his name like a curse, then straightened and turned to face him. Him and that god-damned smirk. I would never admit to him that I was worn out.

"Lets work some more on blocking then." One week had passed since Garrett had started teaching me swordplay, and it was amazing how difficult it was. I suppose being surrounded by the crew for so long, I had managed to forget that most of them had grown up with a sword in hand. They always made it look so simple. Garrett especially. I had never really noticed before, but he had clearly been made Amman's Apprentice for a reason. I could tell he was holding back with me considerably, but I was still exhausted and aching all over.

I raised my sword warily, preparing for a fresh onslaught of attacks. Blow after blow, I struggled so hard to avoid injury that I couldn't even begin to think about retaliating. This was _not_ entertaining. A minute or two passed by in a blur, before Garrett started to bore.

"Feel free to surrender when your tired."

"I'm not tired," the words hissed from clenched teeth.

I continued on, blocking a few more swiftly delivered blows before I simply couldn't go on any longer and waved my hand in defeat. Garrett, looking supremely proud of himself, crossed his arms and smirked down at me as I rested my hands on bent knees and took a few heaving breaths.

"The others thought you would be able to handle battle, but I always knew you were weak," he commented off-handedly. Whatever weariness had previously overcome me fled.

"You bastard! How dare you!" I flew at him, reaching out desperately with the intent of inflicting as much damage upon him as possible. I don't know what overcame me in that moment- for I knew I could never have done anything- but, being called weak when I was trying so hard to prove myself had become a deeper insult then I ever could have imagined. My fists had barely come in contact with his chest however, when he caught my wrists in his hand and shoved me back into the wooden wall behind us.

"Insolent girl!" The back of my head slammed into the outer wall of the cabins, and stars shot up in front of my eyes. He quickly shifted his grip, one hand now around my neck while the other pinned my upper arm to the wood. "Needs to learn her place," he hissed through clenched teeth.

A second of tense silence passed by as slowly as an hour, Garrett's eyes flashing dangerously. I could feel the repressed power in his grip and for a moment fear shot through me. Before he could do anything however, heavy footsteps approached from around the corner.

"How're the lessons goin?" Amman's smiling face came into view over Garrett's shoulder, who released his grip and took a step back quickly.

"Wonderfully," he replied, turning and scooping up his discarded sword. "She keeps letting me back her into things though, a common beginners mistake." Amman, having missed the majority of the exchange, took his words with a nod. If Amman wondered at the fact that we were practicing sword fighting with our weapons laying on the deck three feet away, he didn't show it. In fact, he looked rather distracted.

"Don't work 'er too hard on 'er first day," Amman said smiling slightly, the expression looking out of place on his burly physic.

"I won't," Garrett called to him as he rounded the corner to assist a man on the gunnery crew, who, by the sounds of the shouts and sudden canon fire, was making a terrible mess of things. Garrett turned back to me, his clear eyes livid. Taking a deep breath, I met his gaze, trying my hardest to appear calm.

"We're done for the day," he snapped suddenly after a considerable stretch of silence, sheathing his sword. I nodded and stepped forward to scoop up the sword _I_ had been using, rubbing my neck as I did so. I located the scabbard and sheathed it, handing it to him. He continued to gaze at me for a moment, levelly, before heading off in the direction of the armory. I waited till he was out of sight, then started breathing again.

No one seemed to have noticed our exchange. I was torn between being grateful at being spared the embarrassment, and upset. What if things had progressed farther? Frowning in thought, I headed below deck, pausing in the kitchens to take a dipper full of fresh water. I was still dreadfully thirsty.

The sun was high by now. Nearly half of the day had passed, yet we still had a considerable amount of work to do. The watch bell rang. I wished to change into clean clothes and spend the rest of the afternoon in peace, but the next watch was indeed my own. There was no point in cleaning up and resting for four hours only to go back to work at the end of it. I knew I could have avoided my time if I wished, any of my friends would have taken my place, but I refused to be shown special treatment. Especially with the salt of Garrett words so fresh in the wound. Instead I took another draught of water and headed above deck again.

Our Pilot, James, stood at the helm today, looking as quiet and thoughtful as always, keeping a watchful eye over the ships course and a steady hand on the wheel. He was dressed cleanly and neatly as always, the true English gentleman in him refusing to relent. His great leather log book lay open beside him.

Father and Evans weren't to be seen. Probably in the Captain's office deciding on the ship new course. We had been at sea for nearly three weeks now, and no ship had even been spotted, let alone raided. In fact no merchant ships at all had been spotted since the trader. They were discussing now if we should continue to raid in the Caribbean, or if we should try our hand elsewhere. The idea of leaving the Caribbean had been frightening at first, but now it was starting to grow on me.

Having only left Port Royal for the first time in my life recently, it hadn't really occurred to me before now that there was nothing keeping us here. That was the joy of a ship. We had the ability to go where ever we pleased. We could travel the world with now more hardship then staying here.

Sighing, I headed over to where Alec stood with mop and bucket, working at taking up a couple of layers of salt from the deck. I picked up one of the spares that lay along side him and joined in the work, dipping the mop in the bucket (of salt water- imagine that) then scrubbing away uselessly at the wooden planks. When the deck got really bad, we actually did scrape layers off, which was far more effective, and made this work seem far more fruitless.

Regardless, I worked without complaint for quite some time, a comfortable silence hanging between Alec and I. By the time father and Evans emerged above deck, the wooden mop handle was biting into my palms painfully, threatening to open the newly formed callouses developed from working in the rigging and sword practice.

Father strode out to the center of the deck and bellowed to anyone who could hear. "Evans and I have been discussing what should be done for some time! We've made up a list of options which will now be reviewed in council! All ships officers, please report to the Captain's quarters immediately for discussion!" I paused my work to listen to their announcement, leaning tiredly against my mop.

"Ana! Cover' for me, will ye?" Conall sprang over to me from the base of the rope ladder leading to the crow's nest.

"'Of course Conall. As long as you tell me everything the _second_ you get out." Conall grinned and bounded off down the stairs. I dropped my mop to the ground and slowly began to climb up the ladder, wincing as the ropes cut into my palms. Only one of these special councils had occurred during my time on board, and I found them fascinating.

It was amazing to me that pirates are classed as barbarians by all, and yet they have the fairest and most democratic system of rule I'd ever seen. Through my questioning, I found out that the crew could even vote father out of his Captain-ship if they had a large enough following. Thankfully though, very few of fathers crew members had been pressed into service, so the large majority of them were unfathomably loyal.

I reached the top of the ladder, and settled down upon the wooden platform; gazing lazily around me and taking pride in my new found lack of fear of heights. Multitudes of pirates scurried around below me, resembling little worker ants rushing to complete their chores. I leaned back against the mainmast, settling in for the long hours ahead of me.

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The wooden planks above my head were fitted together seamlessly. I stared at them, entranced, tracing the neat edges with my eyes. Conall's shift had finished, and mine right after it, around dusk. That was an hour ago now. When I was let off duty, I had washed my face in the little amount of water allowed to me, braided my hair and slipped back into one of my dresses. The council still hadn't been released. Now I lay on my back in my little cot, staring aimlessly at the ceiling. 

It was nearly too dark to do anything; my last candle was too low to bother lighting and I was too weary to find another. My sewing, therefore, lay untouched in my trunk. Instead I continued to stare into oblivion, as the shadows deepened around me.

I blinked.

When my eyes opened again, the shadows had set upon the room completely, throwing me into darkness. I must have drifted into sleep at some point, though I had not been aware of it. A second passed in silence as I rubbed my eyes and tried to let them adjust to the dark, before a knock rang out at the door. Most likely what had awoken me in the first place.

"Yes?" I called tiredly, stretching my arms over my head. "Come in." The thin wooden door swung open tentatively, and Conall stood there, his frame illuminated in doorway by the lone oil lamp that swung from the hall ceiling.

"Ana-"

"Yes, Conall?"

"What 're ye doing in the dark like that?"

"Apparently sleeping." I rolled onto my side and surveyed him from under half closed eyes.

"Oh," he muttered softly. "I jus' wanted to thank ye for covering me shift, and tell ye a little about the council." My interest piqued, and I propped myself up on one arm to get a better look at him.

"Well, come in," I muttered impatiently. Conall looked around a moment uncomfortably, before muttering something about 'inappropriate,' under his breath. I rolled my eyes and sat up.

"Fine, lets go get something to eat, and you can tell me about it on the way." I stood yawning and followed him into the hall, closing the door behind me. From the looks of things it was still around dinner time, and many sailors were still visible in the dining room when we passed, gathered around the table eating.

When we arrived in the kitchens, Leon stood over a long wooden counter, setting out food, presumably for those who had been in council. He nodded in greeting as we entered, and gestured to two small scrapes of cloth that had been tied into bundles.

"I assume you two don't want to eat in there," he jerked his head towards the dining room as he spoke. "There's a skin of water in that bucket over there that you can split between you." Conall nodded thanks and located the skin, while I scooped up the two bundles.

Once above deck, it became apparent that all those who had already finished their meals were on deck with their after-dinner ales and wine. Together, we ducked through the crowd, and headed towards the bow of the ship, where the crowd thinned a bit. I selected a strip of railing along the starboard side of the bow, and settled down on the floor, leaning against the railing and swinging my legs over the side.

Conall lay the leather skin of water on the deck, and settled down beside me. I handed him one of the bundles and carefully untied my own in my lap. The worn cloth fell open revealing several strips of dried meat, three hardtack crackers, a rare chunk of stale bread, and a quartered wedge of lime. I couldn't help but wonder if Leon had slipped us something extra, for this was an unusual amount of food compared to our normal rations. From the looks of Conall's meal, he had the same. I made a mental note to thank Leon the next chance I had. He always seemed to now when I'd had a hard day.

Frowning, I picked up the lime wedge- our once a week ration to help fend off scurvy- and bit into the soft flesh, wincing as the refreshing yet horribly sour juice hit my tongue.

"So," I let the lime rind slip through my fingers and land silently in the water below. "What happened today?" Conall swallowed a bite of dried meat, staring peacefully out at the stars.

"Well, as ye right well know, all a the officers met in the Captain's office to talk 'bout where we should cruise next. 'Most everyone agrees that we need to travel- there 're far too many navy ships 'round here lately, and too many of the real treasure ships 'ave stopped crossing the Caribbean. This place is no more profitable then others now. The biggest fight though, is trying te figure out where to go. Some o' the men think we should head up to the Colonies. They run on their own rules most'ly, so piracy is pretty common. 'Specially in places like Virginia. Still others think we should head to Madagascar. Settle down, leave the raiding life behind."

"Stop pirating? Really?"

"It'll never 'appen. Pirates aren't exact'ly known for managing their money. Captain insists that te settle down in Madagascar is the death of a decent pirate. Resigns 'imself to beggary afore long. Ye hear of tha' a lot." I nodded thoughtfully, taking a bite of hardtack then uncorking the water skin and taking a sip. The water was dirty, and bore the distinctly old taste gained only by sitting still in crates for weeks at a time. Conall took the skin from me, took a sip, corked it again and continued.

"The mos' popular idea so far is ta sail up to Africa. There's loads of money ta be made from traders that sail along there. Then there's the chance tha' from there we can head up to England. The city itself' poses a bit of a threat ye see. Not particularly kind to pirates. But there's a fortune to be made in traders that have only just set off to the Caribbean. Still fresh and energetic, so a bit more of a risk, but loaded down with loot, and usually still with full supplies. Very profitable." Conall fell silent as I ripped into the stale bread.

"So you haven't reached a decision yet?"

"No. Not yet. It'll take a good bit o' time for an official decision to be made. Could take as long as a week."

"A week?"

"Aye. Once its reviewed in council, the entire crew will vote. They most always go with the officers though."

We finished up our meal while speaking more of exactly what would happen if we preceded to Africa. When we were both done, I folded up my cloth and stood, brushing off my skirts as I did so. Weariness began to steal over me once again, so we headed back through the steadily growing crowd and back below deck, Conall to the crew's cabin, and I to my room. Sleep overcame me as soon as my head lay upon the bedclothes.

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_Well, thats it. I'm afraid no preview as of now, as I haven't started the next chapter yet, but keep checking back- I'll probably add one once I start. Onto the reviews:_

_kungfuchick: I know, I love that scene. So cute. There's lots of cuteness to come in future chapters though, so look forward to that. And I know I'm terrible about updating, but I'm trying to get better... sheepish grin _

_cal: I'm very happy your pleased. More Jack and Ana will be coming, just not in this chapter. He's in the next one though! And believe it or not, your suggestion will come into play, just not for many many chapters yet. And I'm not sure he'll be there for _quite _the reason you might be thinking of. Lol. Thanks so much for the review, hope you enjoy this chapter just as much!_

_psychotic kitten: Thanks so much for your wonderful praise, your making me blush. And I'm so glad you enjoy it. As for Ana being biracial, its never stated one was or another, so I'm not sure if she actually is. I really wanted to chronicle Ana's transformation into the pirates we all know and love, and I figured the best way to do this was to create some extremes. And whats more extreme then a British governess for a mother? Thanks for the review, I'm glad you like it. _

_HazelEyed Freak: Thanks for the review! Hope you enjoy it!_

_Kitts : Wow. I'm very curious as to what you were dreaming about this fic... lol. I'm _very_ flattered by your praise, and very glad that you like it so much. Thanks for the review!_

_CPo : Yes, your relentless pestering works wonders._

_Anon : Thanks for the review. I'm so glad you liked it!_

_WCSPegasus : Thanks so much for the wonderful praise, and for the add to your C2 community. Where do you archive? I think it got cut out in the review... I normally don't archive outside of but I'll certainly at least have a look at the site. Thanks so much for the invite though, I'm very flattered. Hope you continue to enjoy it just as much!_

_Piglet12345 : I know... I'm terrible about updating. I hope this is quick enough. Just keep badgering me, and I'll post eventually. So glad your enjoying it!_


	10. Setting Out

_A/N: Well, I may not have a great number of reviewers, but those that I have certainly are loyal, eh? _

_Yeah, I know. I have absolutely no excuse as to why this took so long. What can I say? Senior year was a bitch. The ironic part is, that almost all of this chapter was finished around Christmas time. Well, the ending was anyway. It was just the filler scenes of Ana and Lev in the middle that kept me. And it didn't help that those scenes ended up being way longer then I had anticipated. The end result though, is the longest chapter to be posted in this story yet. Hopefully that will make up for something._

_I tried very very hard to have this posted before the second movie premiere, but due to an inopportunely timed vacation, I could not. Let me just say that this story _is _still in progress, and still has _many many _more chapters to go. Also, this story is based only off of the original PotC. While the second one didn't change much as far as canon goes, I have this planned out so far in advance that it's much easier just to ignore it all together for now. _

_Anyway, on with the show! _

Several days later, we pulled into port. A decision had been made after much debate that we would be sailing onto Africa, and then possibly onward to England. Our stock of food and water had by now dwindled to about half, so a course had been plotted to the nearest town, where we would load up before striking out.

Our English flag was billowing in the wind, and everyone was dressed fairly neatly. Conall was busy working in the rigging, and everyone else who wasn't immediately involved in the docking process had been ordered below deck for the evening. Most merchant ships you see, run on a bare minimum crew of about twenty in order to keep labor costs down. Our massive crew all being above deck would have been a bit of a give away.

Below deck was more cramped than ever, as there were rarely this many people lingering in the cabins besides at night. I imagined the crews room was packed, as were dinning hall and kitchens. I myself sat in the kitchen, perched a top a crate, and wearing my least favorite dress which I had let down again in order to hide my boots and allow me to fit in better once on land again.

Lev and Jack sat with me, one on each side, both looking pointedly in opposite directions, while Ragetti sat across from me, carving idly at a scrap of wood. Garrett, Owens, and Pintel sat a few feet away, all on upturned buckets and playing cards on the crate that stood between them. I noticed Garrett looked highly put out that he wasn't considered important enough to be needed above deck. None of the gunnery crew were needed though. In fact a large majority of the canons had been masked with piles of canvas this morning. Merchant ships were armed, to be sure, but never as heavily as ours was at the moment.

The docking process was near complete; the shouts echoing above told me as much. Making sure that my knife was in place in my boot and that there were a fair few gold coins tucked in the pocket of my dress, I stood and prepared to head above deck. In keeping with trying to keep our numbers masked, only fifteen men were going to be allowed on shore at a time. In the first shift to go, ten men had been appointed by Tomas (including Ragetti, Jack, and Owens) to go in search of places to purchase supplies and to catch or hunt food for the evening from the surrounding area. The remaining five and the order of the shifts to come after that were determined by each crew member drawing broom straws that had been broken off at various lengths. By some miracle, I had managed to choose one of the shortest ones, and therefore myself, and my 'protector' Lev, would be able to go on land in the first shift.

The shouts increased in volume, and the gentle 'thud' of the ship coming to rest at the dock could be heard even from my position on board. Tomas's heavy footsteps echoed down the stairwell, and a moment later he stuck his head in the kitchen door.

"I want all of my first shift men topside now!" The boys began to finish up their card game, and venture above. I nodded in response and joined them, passing Conall on the way to the main deck. Now that he had finished docking, he and the others were to head below until their turns to go on land came. He gave me a small wave as he passed, looking as solemn and thoughtful as ever.

By the time Tomas had returned above deck as well, all of those on the first land shift were lined up neatly under the main mast. After he had gone down the row and made sure everyone was clear on their duties, we were free to disembark.

Jack, with a steadying hand on my waist, managed to help me climb carefully between the ropes and down to the dock, with Lev shooting him only one or two dark glances. I had gained quite an agility on board as far as climbing around goes, but doing it in a full length skirt was something I was not yet able to accomplish. As my boots touched down on the wooden dock and Jack departed with the others, I was having difficulty keeping my excitement in check. It may seem like a trivial thing to most, but this was one of the first real port towns I would have the chance to explore. Beyond Port Royal and Tortuga of course.

Together, Lev and I left the docks behind and strolled down the main street, arm in arm. I wasn't particularly certain what I was looking for, but exploring a new area and getting some fresh air at the same time was always welcome. This town was small and quaint- not particularly upscale, but certainly not on the same level as Tortuga. In fact, it reminded me a bit of home. Port Royal rather- it wouldn't necessarily be accurate to call it home any longer.

People of all sorts walked in the streets, servants on errands, farmers selling their wares, and little children playing games- all looking respectable if not necessarily well off. The strong smell of food hung in the air here; there was a men's tavern not far away where it appeared the prominent men of the community gathered for sustenance and news. A small open market of sorts had been set up by peasants selling produce from their gardens. The little apprentice from the butchers shop sat on the front steps of the store, roasting scraps of meat on spits over a little fire and selling them to passer byes for pocket change.

The scents of fresh food making me suddenly aware of my hunger, I scanned the remaining shops on the street before dragging Lev into a small little bakery.

The door creaked loudly as we entered, announcing our presence to those inside. A stuffy looking middle aged woman stood by the counter, a servant according to her dress, who, judging by the long list that sat between her and the boy on the other side of the counter, was placing a very large order. Probably for one of the islands few estates. Both she and the boy looked up as we entered. She eyed me condescendingly for a moment, before turning back to the list, while the boys deep brown gaze lingered on mine momentarily, until he too turned his eyes downward again.

Lev quickly turned to exploring the quaint little shop, while I walked slowly to the front counter and scanned the several large wicker baskets set out, each full of freshly baked rolls and loaves of bread. They looked delicious, and I made up my mind immediately to purchase some. Weeks out at sea accompanied only by stale bread made a sight such as this irresistible.

The boy at the counter straightened and tucked the list into the pocket of his breeches. "This will be taken care of right away ma'am. Have a good day." The woman gave him a small nod before tucking her shawl tightly about her shoulders and departing. The boy watched her leave with a small smile on his face, before turning his attention to me.

"And what may I do for you on this fine day Miss?" He queried, with a jovial clap of his hands. I smiled warmly and set a couple of copper coins on the counter.

"I have been at sea for a long time," I said, pushing them towards him. "What do you suggest?" The boy, tall and lanky, and I guessed about twenty years of age, surveyed me carefully.

"From England?" He asked, his head tilted a little to the side in question.

"The America's," I said with only a little hesitation. I was getting better at making up plausible cover stories on the spot. "I worked as a maid on a plantation in Virginia, but the family decided to move here to try their hand at a sugarcane plantation." I shrugged offhandedly. "I had nothing of my own there, so I decided I might like to accompany them. A change of pace is often welcome."

I gazed at the boy levelly, wondering if he would accept this. I would be gone long before he discovered that there was no such family anyway. He nodded slowly, leaning on the counter as he spoke.

"I thought it must be some such thing." A sly smile crept across his face. "I surely would have taken notice of a girl as lovely as yourself before now, had you always lived here." A loud clatter resounded from the back of the store, and I turned to see Lev's unhappy face staring at the boy, before he picked up the metal measuring spoon he had dropped, and replaced it in the large wooden barrel of flour that sat along the side wall. Lev was so over protective.

Biting back a chuckle and a blush, I thanked the boy for his kind words. Being of such odd descent I had always been generally shunned by the shopkeepers sons in Port Royal, strictly European the lot of them, and was therefore unused to hearing such things directed at myself. I had always found it silly that even among the very lowest of classes, there was still so much discrimination and disdain. Shouldn't the poor stick together? Apparently not. This boy however, seemed to care little for my lineage. Upon closer inspection, I thought this might be because of the boys _own_ descent. At first glance, I had trouble placing him, but as I observed his tanned skin, and dark hair and eyes, I thought he looked like a cross between a European, perhaps a Spaniard, and a native. That would explain a lot.

The boy jerked his chin in Lev's direction. "A suitor?" I laughed a little and shook my head.

"A chaperon, more like." The boy's smile widened.

"Good to know." He turned and reached under the counter, pulling out a small basket which he set on the counter, before giving me a winning smile.

"You may keep your money Miss. My compliments." I thanked him softly as he began to fill it to the brim with delicious looking rolls and breads, a faint blush creeping into my cheeks. I could practically feel Lev's eyes burning into the back of my head; I did my best not to turn and look at him.

The boy finished filling the basket, and tucked a scrap of cloth over the top to protect its contents from dust and dirt.

"Here you are, Miss. You have a lovely rest of the day." He flashed me one last charming smile, his warm gaze lingering on mine. After a moments pause, he added: "You know, there's going to be a bit of a festival in the town square in a fortnight to honor the start of the harvesting season. Perhaps I'll see you there?" I had hardly opened my mouth to reply before Lev was at my elbow.

"So sorry lad, but we'll be very busy next week, wha' with the- eh- settlin' of the planation an' all." I shot Lev a harsh look, feeling the agitation start to build in me, before turning back to the boy with a smile.

"I shall do my best to be in attendance." He nodded, content with my response, and bid us farewell. I took the offered basket and rested it on one arm, giving my thanks once more before turning on my heel and heading for the exit, pointedly not waiting for Lev to catch up.

Upon reaching the street once again, I dropped the wooden door behind me a little harder than intended. Right on Lev's face. I could hear a faint squeal from behind me as it hit him, but I carried on regardless. I continued to walk, or perhaps stalk is the more adequate term, down the main street, my fists balled in anger, until he caught up to me a couple of paces away.

"Now what was tha' for Ana?" He grabbed my upper arm in an attempt to stop me. I wrenched it away from him and kept walking.

"_That_, was for trying to interfere, Lev, _again!_" I could hear Lev's previously hurried steps slow a little in confusion.

"Interfere with what?" I hadn't the slightest idea where I was walking, but I refused to slow my pace, instead taking a turn off of the main road and following a smaller one. I didn't care where I was headed so long as it was away from here.

"In the store, Lev. With that boy. You know _damn_ well that we won't even be here in a fortnight! There was absolutely no need to interject!" Lev looked highly surprised at my creative choice of words. Even being surrounded by pirates, I typically did my best not to resort to curses. Right now, however, I cared not a wink. And I was far from done. "In fact, you interfere with everything! You hardly leave Jack and I alone, as if there were risk of something happening between us, you never let me away from your side when we're in a new place, any male who so much as smiles at me, _you're_ bound and determined to scare away! For goodness sake, he needn't even smile at me, just happen to be walking past!"

"I'm jus' lookin after ye Ana!" He was walking beside me again, his face imploring. I stopped in my tracks and turned to face him.

"I don't need to be looked after!" My scream attracted the attention of a couple of farm hands who stood nearby, loading bags of what looked like seed into a cart. They looked up at us for several moments, surprised looks on their faces. I could only imagine what sort of a scene we were making. Giving a groan of frustration, I turned around again and stamped off. The buildings were becoming fewer and farther between here, as the bulk of the little town was behind us. The road we had been walking on turned to dirt and trees and brush became more prevalent.

A few more minutes passed in complete silence, before I came to a stop. Civilization was completely behind us now, replaced by the tall stalks of a sugar cane plantation on either side of the road. I had calmed a little in my few minutes of walking, and shot Lev a hesitant look from under my lashes before settling down in the grasses by the side of the road.

"I shouldn't have shouted," I said softly. He didn't respond. After a moment, he sat down next to me without a word.

"Ye'r just frustrated. As ye have a right to I sup'se." He frowned. "Ye just have to understand Ana, ye'r like a sister to me, I'm goin' to look after ye."

We sat in silence for a moment while I mulled over this. In reality I was quite grateful for his protection. Honestly, where would I be without it? It was simply too suffocating. At times, I just couldn't take it.

Finally, I nodded. "Please, just trust me a little more from now on." I paused and fiddled with a blade of grass in front of me for a moment. "It's nice to have a guardian on occasion, but for goodness sake, I'm sixteen. Let me judge for myself every now and then." He eyed me for a moment.

"I will." He paused. " But ye have to promise t' be careful. An' watchful. An' I _will_ interject if I deem it necessary." I gave him a small smile.

"Fair enough." An awkward silence hung between us for a moment. Pulling the little knife he had given me from my boot, I stood and walked to one of the great sugar cane stalks that grew nearby. I carefully cut off two small limbs of it, and peeled back the outside, before handing him one as a peace offering. "Truce?" A slight smile crossed his face.

"Truce." He accepted the stalk and took a bite. "Now where did ye learn a thing such as tha'?" I chewed a little on the end of my own stalk, reveling in it's sweetness.

"We used to do this all the time when I was a child. The local farmers were constantly shooing us off of their property." Lev laughed, and tentatively offered me his arm.

"Well, let's head bac' to town, a'fore _this_ lands farmer has to shoo us away." I accepted the offered arm, and scooping up the basket, which had until now lain forgotten in the grass, we slowly headed back towards the main street. The matter had been settled. For now.

Lev and I were nearly half way back to the ship, smiles and laughter once again in our manner, when Alec came running up to us, a highly distressed look on his face.

"Ana!" He came to a screeching halt a few feet away. Alec was not one to converse freely, particularly with me, and I could never imagine him approaching me unless there was some sort of problem. I couldn't begin to fathom what could be the matter though. I knew that he and Owens and Jack had been on shore because they were assigned to hunt wild game for our supper. But why on earth would he be coming to _me_ with hunting problems?

"Yes?" I asked, turning to face him, more than a little puzzled.

"It's Jack." Fear immediately struck me; with Jack it could be anything. Lev looked delighted.

"What did he do now?" he asked, a large smile on his face. Alec was out of breath from his run, managing only to pant out 'he's-in-jail,' in one hurried breath. Hearing that, I thought I might pass out on the spot. Even Lev looked worried, his large smile replaced with a somewhat anxious expression. Jail was the sort of thing that put the entire ship at risk.

"For what?" I gasped. Alec had recovered his breath a little and was again able to speak.

"The two of us and Owens were in charge of catching some game, so we were out hunting wild pigs in the woods. Apparently we strayed onto private property. Some old bastard heard us and came barreling out into the trees with a shotgun. We outran him in a second, but Jack was the last out and the man got a good look at him. After we lost him, Owens was bringing our catches back to the ship and Jack and I decided to stop by one of the pubs and see if we could nick a bottle of ale. On the way that oaf came by with a navy man and recognized Jack and had him hauled off."

"When was this?" I asked quickly.

"About an hour ago. I knew you and Ragetti were both on land, so I've been trying to find one of you. I didn't want to get captain involved in this yet, for Jack's sake." I thanked Alec profusely, and told him I'd take care of things from here, giving him my basket to take back to the ship and instructing him to distract father from noticing our absence for as long as possible.

I hadn't the slightest idea where the jail was, and therefore set about asking the least offensive looking pedestrians I could find. It took only a few moments, and a number of odd looks, before we learned of it's location on the other side of the island, told to us by a bent, aging farmer.

Immediately, I hurried to follow the man's directions, dragging a rather reluctant Lev along behind me. He would have been perfectly pleased to leave Jack there, or to report the matter to father. I knew that neither of these was a feasible option, but was also completely uncertain as to what I would do once we arrived.

Reaching the jail entrance, we paused outside the door a moment, where I smoothed my hair and skirts. I had forgotten my sun hat at the ship, and had no bonnet. I was going to need a good deal of grace in order to cover for my less than exemplary appearance. I shot Lev a final warning glance to ensure silence, then stepped inside. The prison was dim and dank, lit by a lone candle on the nearby table and a few dusty beams streaming in hesitantly from high, barred windows. A man sat at the table, hat pulled low over his face and feet propped up on the table in front of him. He wore a standard Navy issue uniform, though it was apparent from his lack of decoration that he was fairly low in the chain of command.

I straightened my shoulders, tried to look imperious, and walked up to him. "You, Sir, are holding a young man prisoner, brought in just a few hours ago. I demand to see him." I lifted my chin slightly and met his gaze steadily, trying to look firm and yet well mannered simultaneously. The man - who looked to have been half asleep - lifted his hat and surveyed me from under it's brim. Seeing who addressed him, he looked startled by my forwardness, indeed too startled to make protest. Yawning, he straightened his hat and swung his feet off of the table, grabbing a worn looking key ring off of a hook behind him and leading the way down a very short hallway lined with cells. He stopped at the second cell on the left, and I did as well, looping my fingers around the bars and peering inside; Lev stood silently off to one side. Jack sat up against one wall of the cell, eyes close; the picture of relaxation. His once white shirt and faded vest were unbuttoned about halfway, sleeves rolled to the elbow to ward off heat.

I cleared my throat and Jack opened one kohl lined eye, before springing to his feet delightedly. "Ana!" I glowered at him and he grinned.

"Ah, don't be sour with me luv, it wasn't my fault this time." I hushed him with a look, next sending one in Lev's direction. Getting the hint, he quickly began conversing with the guard over the fine quality of his sword. Seeing that he was suitably distracted, I leaned my head close to the bars. Jack linked his fingers through them as well, mirroring my stance.

"Do they know your of the _Validus_?" I hissed, just loud enough for him to hear. Jack shook his head no. "Do they know your a pirate?"

"No." I breathed a sign of relief.

"Do they know your real name?" He shook his head.

"I'm' John Turner to them," he whispered, giving me a bit of a grin. I nodded, then turned again to the guard, who was still conversing with Lev.

"Well, you see this particular curve of the handle allows for quick draw were you to ever have a swift or unexpected attack-"

"Sir," I said firmly, interrupting his and Lev's conversation. "I demand you free Mr. Turner this instant." The man eyed me carefully, half curious and half offended by the apparently low stationed girl who would speak to him so.

"I'm afraid I can't do that _Miss_, not until Mr. Johnson decides if he wants to press charges." I frowned.

"I'm afraid that won't do." The man's countenance turned angry. I knew immediately that I had over stepped my place, but there was no turning back now.

"And who are you then, to order me about so?" he asked angrily. Hmm. I couldn't claim to be some high officials relation; I guessed this port too small for anyone to believe such an unusual figure as myself had gone unnoticed this long. A relation to Jack would be my best bet now.

"I'm his-" I paused a moment, quickly running over my options. There was no way we could pass as blood relations, and Lev would probably hotly deny it were I to try and forge a familial relation there. Jack was too old for me to try and pass as his governance, and he didn't exactly look like the type of person wealthy enough to keep servants.

"His betrothed," I finished hesitantly. Jack and Lev were giving me shocked looks, but I ignored them, focusing my attention on the man, whose face has softened slightly.

"I'm very sorry Miss, but-," there was a tone of regret or sympathy in his voice now, which I could use to my advantage. I cut him off.

"Please Sir, perhaps this would appease Mr. Johnson. You could give him what ever he asks, and keep the remainder for yourself." I shot him my best pleading look, and pressed a generous amount of gold into his hand. All of the coins that I had been sure to tuck into my pocket before coming on land. Sympathy and bribes. If this doesn't work, nothing will.

Thankfully, the man didn't seem to be of high enough rank to care where I had gotten such a great portion of gold, he was too preoccupied with trying to figure how much he could keep for himself. Indeed, he stared at it for a moment before shrugging and reaching for his key ring.

"It was a minor infraction, I'm sure this will appease him." I grinned and thanked him profusely as the lock gave a rusty _click_ and the door swung open.

"Ana!" Jack cried, coming forward and throwing his arms about me in the manner of one in love.

"John!" I cried in response, burying my face in his shirt to suppress a giggle. Our embrace lasted for several moments, before Lev made his presence known again by a loud clearing of his throat and the two of us broke apart, a tinge of pink in my cheeks. I thanked the man again, and the two of us swept out of the jail arm in arm. Lev was detained a few moments as the guard gave him detailed instructions on how to get to the blacksmith who made his sword, but he quickly caught up, mumbling under his breath.

"Like I really wan' a sword like that, mine's ten times better, really. That thin' would snap in half five minutes' into a _real_ battle. Like _he_ ever gets unexpecte'ly attacked anyway."

I waited until we were safely out of sight before rounding on Jack. "Don't you _dare_ do that again Jack! Had you been discovered as a pirate, our entire ship would have been in danger." I kept my voice low, to avoid eavesdroppers, but menacing all the same. He raised a hand as if afraid I was going to slap him.

"Oh luv, don't worry yer pretty little head about it, I'm not marked." I pointed a threatening finger in his face and he hurriedly tried to shift the conversation away from himself. "Though I must admit Milady, that was a lovely rescue if I may say so myself. I hear we're betrothed then, eh?" I glared at him.

"It got you free did it not?"

"Aye, it did," he flashed me that roguish half grin and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me flush against him. "I was just wonderin when I'd be able to exercise my rights as a husband." Jack's dark eyes burned into mine, a playful gleam lying over something else I couldn't place. Now I was tempted to slap him, but I contented myself with taking a deep breath and wriggling out of his arms, my face hot.

"It got you free," I repeated firmly, turning and heading back in the direction of the ship. I thought Lev might tackle Jack right there in the street judging by the look on his face, but he seemed to know that after our little tiff earlier I'd be furious if he intervened further.

"My father does _not_ need to hear about this."

The very next morning we set sail and the following evening, safe from the prying eyes of those in port, we threw a bit of a celebration in honor striking out on such a grand adventure. Leon had made a large meal out of our still fresh food; fish stew and one of the pigs that the boys had caught.

Wine and ale bottles were being passed around in abundance, and a large keg of rum stood open on the deck. No one was bothering with mugs, but there were several ladles being passed around for the rum, one of which was currently in my hands. There were enough people on deck that I needn't worry about being caught by father or Evan's, and I admit I'd already had numerous dipper fulls throughout the course of the evening. The others were even farther gone than I.

Jack had already regaled the tale of my daring rescue to Ragetti near ten times, and it grew more and more dramatic with every telling. The fiddler was playing again, and Lev, Pintel, and Owens were singing loudly and completely off key.

"And then she hit him over the head, stole the key ring, and we ran like mad." I took another drought of rum, turning just in time to catch a theatrical hand gesture from Jack.

"The next time you tell that tale, I'm going to run off and become the Queen of England!" I cried, throwing my hands in the air and spinning around. I came to a halt, leaning against the edge of the rum barrel, giggling, to slow the already spinning world. Once I could stand straight again, my cloudy judgment deemed the best course of action to be another dipper of rum. Carefully, I tipped back my head and downed another, wincing as the unbearable burn hit my throat.

I could hear the fiddle music distantly, though distorted. I took another spin, lost my balance and tumbled against Garrett.

"Ana? Are you alright?" I could hear my fathers voice shouting from the other side of the ship, and a blurry image of his face slowly came into focus. I straightened as quickly as I could. Too quickly. Oh, too quickly.

"Of course father!" I tried to sound chipper. And sober. He looked as though he was to come and investigate my sudden, unexplained clumsiness more closely, but another sailor halted him to talk. Seeing he was distracted, I fell against Garrett again laughing. He stood me up carefully, too drunk to be angry. Jack appeared by my side and steered me in the direction of the stairs.

"Let's get you off to bed before Captain discovers just how drunk you are." He spoke, his lips inches from my ear, though his voice louder than needed given our closeness. I stumbled. Tried to follow his lead more or less. I nearly tumbled down the stairs when we arrived at the top of them. Pausing, he linked my arms around his neck and scooped me up. He proceeded below deck slowly. Careful, deliberate steps.

After what seemed hours- no seconds, we arrived outside my tiny room. He knocked open the door with his hip, and staggered over to the bed. He made a move to gently lay me down, but lost his balance. We fell together. He was on top of me. His weight was comforting, and we were both laughing; I could feel his breath, hot, against the curve of my neck.

The room was unusually warm. The ceiling wouldn't come into focus. Still laughing, he rolled off of me and onto his back. His gaze lifted to the ceiling, with unfocused eyes. One hand rested on his chest. The other still looped about my shoulder. The room began to spin as I rolled onto my side and curled against him, my cheek coming to rest on his shirt. The hand that had been around my shoulder slipped up to stroke my hair. I closed my eyes tightly to stop the spinning. I could feel nothing, but the unbearable heat. And his hand in my hair.

A few moments passed before he started to stand. "Don't go." I could hardly hear my own voice.

"I have to luv. If your father catches me here, I'm a dead man." He lifted my hand and kissed the back of it, lips lingering longer than they should have. The mind numbing pain in the back of my head was too great. I could hardly move, let alone protest. Cold. The heat of his body removed, I was suddenly overcome with cold. I wasn't strong enough to make a move for the quilt. It was too far. I was so tired. And the pain was so great.

The next day I had awoken with a pounding headache and only a vague memory of the previous evening. I was never sure if Jack forgot altogether, considered it inconsequential, or made a conscious decision not to mention it, but either way, we never spoke of what happened that night.

_A/N: Yet again, I'm sorry for the wait. Hopefully the next one shall be quicker. And thanks so much to all of my reviewers from chapter nine._

_Now, please let me know I still have some readers out there! Reviews are greatly greatly appreciated. _


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